Energy independence, lower fuel prices and jobs are the big three reasons cited for Atlantic offshore drilling but do the promises match the market reality?
News & Features
Senate Budget Bars Federal Energy Grants
Senate leaders have added a state budget provision that would prohibit agencies from applying for federal clean energy, efficiency and technology grants.
Panel: Seismic Effects Still Unclear
Scientists who spoke at the recent N.C. Coastal Federation forum on offshore oil say more research is needed on seismic surveying’s effects on marine mammals.
Officials Tout Amazon Wind Farm Deal
The recent groundbreaking near Elizabeth City for Amazon’s wind farm, the first of its kind in the state, is being hailed as a win for clean-energy policy.
The Rocky Path to Put Sand on N. Topsail Beach
Townsfolk, tourists aren’t complaining about the rocks pumped in with sand during a recent North Topsail Beach renourishment but more scrutiny may affect future projects.
Agency Seeks Comments on Seismic Permits
The National Marine Fisheries Service is taking the unusual step of allowing public review and comment on permits to harass marine mammals with seismic tests.
Federation to Present Annual Awards
The N.C. Coastal Federation today will present its annual Pelican Awards recognizing work to protect the N.C. coast, including efforts to save Hofmann Forest.
Attack of the ‘Fuzzy Bills’
Unprecedented swarms of midges, tiny insects also called “fuzzy bills” and “blind mosquitoes,” have been making life miserable for residents and tourists in areas of the Outer Banks.
Report Cites Benefits of Living Shorelines
Natural methods to protect eroding shorelines are better often cheaper for the property owner, easier to build for the contractor and better for the marine environment, according to a new report on so called “living shorelines.”
Coastal Stormwater Rules Redux
The state’s coastal stormwater rules were at the center of a debate this week at an unusual public hearing in the N.C. House over a bill that would weaken many environmental regulations.
Public Will Get Its Say on Regulatory Bill
A N.C. House committee, in an unusual move, will allow the public this morning to comment on a controversial state Senate bill that rolls back coastal stormwater standards and weakens a number of other environmental regulations.
Corps: No Hearing Needed for Groin Study
Newly revised plans call for a larger terminal groin in a new location at Figure Eight Island, but the Corps says no public hearing on the changes is needed.
Mirlo Bypass OK’d in Bonner Bridge Deal
Two of three requirements set forth in the deal to replace the aging Herbert C. Bonner Bridge in Dare County have been met, including approval of the “jug-handle” bypass of Mirlo Beach.
Wrightsville Stems Flow of Runoff
New research shows that recent projects in Wrightsville Beach have cut polluted runoff into local waterways by as much as 90 percent.
Forum: Offshore Oil and the N.C. Coast
TÂÂhe N.C. Coastal Federation will host experts and area residents for a forum, Shaping our Economic Future: Offshore Drilling in N.C., July 31 in New Bern.
A Return to Failed Rules?
Coastal stormwater rules would be rolled back to the failed standards of almost a decade ago under a sweeping reconstituted regulatory bill that is moving quickly through the state Senate and has even business-friendly regulators alarmed.
