The state House begins debate today on its version of the biennial budget, which features a hefty boost in spending for conservation and clean water projects.
News & Features
Q&A: What Is SEPA, How Will It Change?
What’s the purpose of the State Environmental Policy Act? And what will happen if a bill proposing changes to it passes the N.C. Senate? This Q&A helps breakdown these questions and more.
How Can Oregon Inlet Be Fixed?
More intense dredging may be one answer. The state is also considering a more novel approach: Acquiring the federal land on either side of the inlet to build jetties to hold the channel in place.
Take a Ride Through Oregon Inlet
We take you on a boat ride through the recently dredged Oregon Inlet for a sense of why many think this is the most treacherous inlet on the East Coast.
Protesters to Join Hands Against Oil, Coal
Hundreds of North Carolinians will take 15 minutes Saturday to join hands with strangers in a peaceful demonstration against fossil fuels.
Hammocks Beach Addition a Done Deal
Attorneys have closed on a deal that adds 290 acres to a state park in Swansboro, ends years of court wrangling and makes millionaires of an Onslow County man and his sister in Raleigh.
Tropical Storm in May? Really?
Computer models forecast a possible tropical storm could threaten the N.C. coast with nasty weather by week’s end, almost a full month before the official beginning of the hurricane season.
House Weakens Environmental Review
In a late-night session, the N.C. House approved a bill that critics and some legislators say will ultimately gut a 40-year-old law that requires environmental review of state projects.
How Did Rocks End Up on the Beach?
Questions abound about the beach re-nourishment project at N. Topsail Beach. Why haven’t regulators been more forceful in protecting the public’s beach and the endangered animals that use it ?
Earth Day Events This Weekend
The N.C. Coastal Federation and its friends are getting a jump on Earth Day, with a variety of fun and planet-friendly events set for today and Saturday.
‘Oyster Summit’ Paying Dividends
The ‘oyster summit’ in Raleigh last month has generated much buzz about the lowly oyster and its environmental and economic benefits. The summit triggered two bills in the state legislature to strengthen the state’s oyster industry.
Sand Bags as Seawalls; Wetlands as Drylands
Bills working their way through the N.C. General Assembly would make it easier to armor the beach and would weaken buffer rules by taking the “wet” out of wetlands.
County Backs Away From Mad Inlet
Brunswick County commissioners have reversed an offer to let a proposed development in Sunset Beach tap into the county’s public utilities.
What’s This Seismic Survey Stuff?
A crowd of eager and curious people turned out in Wilmington this week to learn about what offshore seismic testing is about and what its effects on the environment could be.
Council of State OKs Park Money
After more than eight years of legal wrangling and negotiation, the state is ready to acquire almost 300 acres to add to Hammocks Beach State Park.
Q&A: The Skinny on Seismic Surveys
We offer a primer on what will take center stage this month in the debate over offshore drilling. Public meetings are planned in April along the N.C. coast about using sound waves to determine if oil or natural exists below the sear.
