The state budget passed this week by the N.C. General Assembly cuts the appropriation to the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund to the lowest level in the agency’s history, leading its director to wonder if the state’s leading conservation fund can survive.
News & Features
Buying Your Piece of Coastal Heaven
Before making an offer on that perfect place for your retirement or coastal getaway, there are things like erosion rates and setbacks, hurricanes and flood insurance that you need to know about.
A Failing Grade on the Environment
Using the recession as its backdrop and rules cost jobs as its mantra, the Republican-led legislature has slashed environmental budgets, weakened laws and earned record low scores for protecting the state’s environment.
Fishing Pier, Ocean Center Planned in Hatteras
Eric Kaplan has been a busy man since last fall when he announced his ambitious plan to build a new fishing pier in Hatteras village – one that would be much more than a fishing pier.
Summertime and the Living Is Profitable
Though they bring traffic and long lines, tourists are the economic lifeblood of many coastal communities, a fact highlighted and quantified by a new federal report.
Old Coast Guard Housing to Get Facelift
The redevelopment of former housing units at the old Coast Guard station in Buxton cleared a major hurdle.
Senate Panel OKs Sea-Level Rise Bill
Unfazed by a barrage of worldwide criticism and outright ridicule, the Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Committee yesterday approved a bill that restricts the use of scientific modeling to predict future sea-level rise.
Navy Training Draws a Mighty Ho-Hum
The Navy’s plans for training exercises off the N.C. coast aren’t nearly as volatile as they were the last time the subject came up a few years ago.
Sanctuary’s Possible Expansion Raises Suspicions
Soured by what they view as onerous government restrictions on fishing, boating and beach driving, Outer Banks divers are skeptical of a any expansion of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary.
Bill Would Revamp Coastal Commission
A bill being considered in the N.C. Senate would reduce the number of members of the Coastal Resources Commission, a move some fear would weaken the panel.
Egg Fight Could Have Major Implications
Legal wrangling over a federal permit at Rose Acre Farms has spurred legislators in Raleigh to change state law and could affect future monitoring of water pollutants at the massive egg plant.
Special Places, Special People
Our new annual publication, “Our Coast,” celebrates places along the coast that you can visit this summer that thousands of people fought long and hard to protect.
New Ways Needed to Protect Working Forests
A new study suggests that as many as 344,000 acres of forestland along the coast — one of the world’s most productive for growing timber — could ultimately be converted to other uses.
‘Animalcules’ and the Poison of Mercury
The estuaries least glamorous of beings — bacteria — drive the entire ecosystem and play a crucial role in the birth of mercury’s most insidious form.
State Tries to Grapple with Mercury
Every water body in North Carolina is polluted with this potent toxin, with the highest concentrations in coastal waters. The state has a plan it says will begin to bring those levels down.
Coastal Law: Mega-Dumps and Beaches
Two recent court cases — one dealing with a state law on large landfills and the other with condemned buildings on the public-trust beach — may have far-reaching implications.
