With Gov. Roy Cooper now in his second term and the legislature convening Wednesday, budget and pandemic response agreements remain on the to-do list from last year.
News & Features
EPA Denies Petition to Address PFAS
The Environmental Protection Agency denied a petition from six eastern N.C. community groups to require Chemours Co. to test 54 PFAS produced at its Fayetteville Works facility.
Blair Farm Site Back on Market After Ruling
An undeveloped 12-acre tract with water frontage in Morehead City that had been set aside for conservation in 2003 is back on the market after a court decision lifted restrictions on the deed.
Long-Term Plans Ahead for Shifting Sands
Federal, state and local officials in coastal North Carolina are taking new approaches toward sand management and ever more serious beach erosion and channel shoaling.
Treasury Now Holds Restoration Grant Funds
The state Court of Appeals filed Dec. 15 the decision that funds from the Smithfield Agreement for environmental enhancement projects will be held by the state treasury rather than a private bank account, as it has been.
OBX Plates Still in Demand Decades Later
Since the OBX license plate was released Dec. 23, 1999, demand remains steady for the plate only issued over the counter on the Outer Banks.
NC Will Pay for Climate Inaction: Report
A new report shows that the effects of climate change will significantly cost state residents and the economy over the next three decades without urgent action to curb climate-warming pollution.
Navassa Superfund Site Plan To Allow Homes
The Environmental Protection Agency is set to roll out a new plan that includes nearly two dozen acres of unrestricted residential land use on the former Kerr-McGee wood-treatment site in Navassa.
Manteo Dredge Project Underway … Almost
Dredging was set to begin Monday at Roanoke Sound and Shallowbag Bay, but technical and weather challenges mean more waiting before the Elizabeth II can set sail again.
‘Sick Buildings’ Add to COVID-Linked Inequity
A new state task force to address disparities in communities of color impacted by COVID-19 recommends addressing aging buildings, particularly schools, in hyper-segregated, impoverished communities.
Resilience Is Key In Wilmington Park Plan
An online program Monday will highlight Wilmington’s North Waterfront Park and the recent verification by a nonprofit group that recognizes resilient, ecologically sound and accessible waterfront design.
Town Eyes New Tax Districts For Sand Project
North Topsail Beach won’t use a town-wide property tax increase solely to pay for a $672 million, 50-year federal beach renourishment project, but the creation of two new tax districts appears likely.
Center Files New Lawsuit Over River Species
The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a second lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to act as required to conserve the Carolina madtom and the Neuse River waterdog.
Tension Builds Over Old Aquaculture Practice
North Carolina’s shellfish relay program, in which farmers remove natural oysters from a polluted area to their own leases, is more than 100 years old, and some say the practice can’t end soon enough.
Decision Ends Chapter In Hog Farm Disputes
Smithfield Foods has resolved more than a dozen nuisance cases filed by eastern North Carolina residents since a court ruling in favor of the neighbors of a former Bladen County hog farm was upheld last month.
Teens Go Online to Help Marine Life
Two teen siblings residing in Morehead City recently launched a website and YouTube channel they use to promote marine conservation and outreach.
