Researchers with a newly expanded program that analyzes samples from municipal sewage treatment facilities in North Carolina are working with a company to quickly develop tests for the latest COVID-19 variants as they emerge around the world.
News & Features
After years of cuts, House eyes boost for Land, Water Fund
North Carolina’s Land and Water Fund for conservation and restoration projects is on track for an appropriation at a level not seen in more than a decade.
Solar, storage investments mutually beneficial: report
Investing in solar power along with energy storage capacity can overcome challenges that skeptics cite as renewable energy’s limitations in meeting demand.
NTB won’t join beach nourishment project partnership
North Topsail Beach will not be committing to a joint multi-million-dollar beach nourishment project with Surf City and the Army Corps of Engineers.
NC riverkeepers cry foul over state’s farm law
Riverkeepers say the 2014 law calls into question whether the Department of Environmental Quality is thoroughly investigating their complaints against the state’s industrial hog and poultry farms.
More boaters finding trouble in waters near Cape Lookout
Waters near Cape Lookout have become increasingly perilous because of shoaling and shifting channels, despite a two-year-old agreement between Carteret County and the National Park Service that has provided more than $5.67 million for dredging.
Corps collecting data for 20-year dredged materials plan
The Army Corps of Engineers is identifying sites and gathering data for a 20-year management plan to provide answers on where spoils from nonfederal dredge projects may be placed.
Senate budget includes fisheries studies, ferry funding
The state Senate’s two-year spending plan approved last week includes funding for fisheries research, expanding the shellfish lease program and a new loan program for growers, along with a new dedicated fund for Ferry Division capital expenses.
Superfund process, cleanup to end for 20+ acres in Navassa
Officials say more than 20 acres in the 200-acre, creosote-contaminated Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp. site in Navassa will have met cleanup goals by this fall.
Language from PFAS bills rolled into Senate budget
Provisions aimed at stepping up state monitoring of contaminants known as per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances were wrapped into the Senate budget plan released this week.
Process for defining droughts in NC a matter of degrees
Drought conditions and flooding are possible in North Carolina at the same time, but this apparent paradox isn’t as absurd as it may seem.
Visitors urged to ‘leave no trace’ on public lands
During Great Outdoors Month this month, managers of state and federal lands urge visitors to protect their natural lands and wildlife.
Flood-resilience study reveals solutions, big challenges
The large-scale Stoney Creek project in Wayne County has shown that using natural and working lands to hold back stormwater can be an effective solution to repeated flooding of homes and infrastructure, but some places face a losing battle.
‘Ditch of Death’: Navigation in Hatteras Inlet dicey … again
Shoaling threatens navigation in economically vital Hatteras Inlet, prompting frustrated fishers to dub the South Ferry Channel the “Ditch of Death.” A consultant, responding to conditions, told the Dare County Waterways Commission Monday that continuing to dredge the passage appears “futile.”
Senate, House settle on spending caps, details to follow
House and Senate negotiators last week settled on increased budget ceilings for the next two years, but exact numbers by department have yet to be spelled out.
EPA revives climate change website, adds ‘indicators’ data
The Environmental Protection Agency recently reactivated its climate change website taken offline in 2017 and added new data, including information relevant to the NC coast.
