The deadlock over the state budget between the Democratic governor and Republicans in the General Assembly leaves $15 million out of reach for parks and recreation, clean water trust funds.
News & Features
NOAA to Phase Out Paper Nautical Charts
Paper nautical charts are popular as wall art but their usefulness to mariners has waned, and NOAA plans to transition from hard copy to digital maps of the nation’s waterways.
Residents Urge Stricter Oversight of CPI Plant
Southport residents are demanding the Department of Environmental Quality increase its regulation of the CPI USA North Carolina power plant near their homes.
Review Highlights DEQ Funding Shortfall
A legislative report released this week finds that DEQ’s funding and organizational structure are hurdles to accomplishing mandates from the General Assembly.
Southport Backs Off Plan For Sewage Plant
Southport officials have halted design work on a proposed city-owned wastewater treatment plant in an ecologically sensitive area near homes after residents spoke out against it.
State Adds 35 Acres to Bird Island Reserve
The recent purchase by the state of 35 acres in Sunset Beach to be added to the Bird Island Coastal Reserve ends years of fighting to keep the property undeveloped.
Disaster Recovery Bill Clears Legislature
The $180 million in the disaster recovery bill approved Thursday will help local governments with Dorian recovery and includes funds for Ocracoke School repairs.
Future Seasons’ Oysters Need Recycled Shells
Recycled oyster shells can be used to help buffer shorelines from erosion, promote habitat restoration and provide a foundation for rebuilding oyster populations in N.C. waters.
Researcher Weighs In On Coal Ash Rule Redo
Duke University researcher Avner Vengosh says the Trump administration’s proposed rewrite of coal ash disposal rules shifts the burden from utilities to the public.
Outer Banks Campus Puts the ‘Sea’ in CSI
With its new affiliation, growing faculty and new programming, the Coastal Studies Institute in Wanchese is advancing long-term plans for becoming a world-class marine science facility.
Senate, House Disaster Bills: An Analysis
With the House and Senate deadlocked on competing bills for hurricane relief funding until legislators return Nov. 13, we break down the differences.
Living Shoreline Proponents Tout Examples
Field trips that kicked off a recent technical workshop on living shorelines provided a glimpse of the evolving technology to restore marsh habitat and guard against erosion.
Map Connects Wildlife Habitats, Corridors
A national group that works to restore natural habitat has created a map intended to help other advocates reconnect large, undeveloped East Coast areas to protect wildlife.
State Conditions Sunset Beach Dredge Permit
The N.C. Division of Coastal Management has issued a permit to Sunset Beach to dredge south Jinks Creek but with conditions, including limiting excavation to less than half of the requested depth.
Lurking Invaders Threaten US, Experts Warn
Thousands of nonnative creepers and critters could wreak havoc here, according to members of the recently deactivated panel that had long advised the Interior Department on invasive species.
Bird Advocates Hail NC Native Plants Law
Wildlife advocates are praising a state law passed earlier this year that requires the N.C. Department of Transportation to give priority to native, bird-friendly species in its plantings.
