The draft program proposes up to 34 potential offshore lease sales across 21 of 27 existing outer continental shelf planning areas, none of which is on the Atlantic Coast.
Spotlight
EPA, Army Corps leaders publish revised ‘WOTUS’ definition
Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers officials said Monday that proposed changes to the existing “waters of the United States” definition are to focus on relatively permanent, standing or continuously flowing bodies of water.
Wilmington residents see no good in proposed harbor project
None of the proposed alternatives for the State Ports Authority’s plan to accommodate larger container ships at the Wilmington port would boost the local economy and any benefit would be offset by environmental costs, public hearing attendees said.
Free lecture to highlight satellites’ role in resilience planning
“Watching the Tides Roll: How Satellites Inform the Future of Coastal Communities“ with Dr. David Lagomasino begins at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Coastal Studies Institute.
Update: Blue crab harvest vote removed from agenda
The Marine Fisheries Commission was expected to consider adopting more restrictions on the commercial harvest of blue crabs, a move the N.C. Carolina Coastal Counties Fisheries Coalition opposes, but the item has been removed from an updated agenda.
Commission holds PFAS, 1,4-dioxane vote for future meeting
The Environmental Management Commission voted to postpone hearing proposed rules to monitor and minimize the two human-made chemical compounds from industrial users and dischargers.
Coastal geologist Stan Riggs sets out on 10-book project
“I’ve done a lot of work here,” the East Carolina University professor told Coastal Review, and the book series to be rolled out over three years is a mission to share what he’s learned.
Pony Patrol marks three years of watchful eyes over herds
The third season for the persistently protective volunteers was off to a rough start with abandoned foals having to be removed from the herd, but summer turned around with a filly’s birth on Shackleford Island.
Manufacture, use of plastics incur staggering societal costs
Duke University researchers have put into dollar figures the true costs to society of cheap plastic products: from $436 billion to $1.1 trillion annually.
Wilmington Council resolves to oppose Chemours’ expansion
The Wilmington City Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution opposing Chemours’ proposed expansion of its Fayetteville Works plant in Bladen County.
Shorebirds flock to restored pond at Pine Island sanctuary
Staff at the Donal C. O’Brien, Jr. Sanctuary and Audubon Center in Corolla are crediting a recently completed habitat-restoration project with luring birds and wildlife back to a previously problem-prone pond.
Outer Banks senator pushes for state of emergency on NC 12
Sen. Bobby Hanig, R-Dare, has implored the governor’s office to declare a state of emergency for parts of N.C. 12 on Hatteras and Ocracoke after several weeks of what he calls “catastrophic shoreline collapse.”
Records point to 13 unmarked graves in Old Burying Ground
Carteret County native Bill Lewis has spent the last few years digging through records to corroborate what he’s always heard: that 13 of his ancestors are buried in unmarked graves in the Old Burying Ground.
Buxton strewn with debris amid government shutdown
Cape Hatteras National Seashore crews are conducting emergency, safety-focused cleanup operations and maintaining limited public access where possible as debris from five oceanfront homes swept into the surf Tuesday continues to cover the shoreline.
Update: 5 Buxton houses collapse into Atlantic Tuesday
Including the five houses that crumbled Tuesday, 15 houses in Buxton and Rodanthe have fallen since mid-September.
Opponents urge EPA to uphold objection to Asheboro permit
Those who spoke last week at the Environmental Protection Agency’s hearing on Asheboro’s wastewater permit urged the EPA to uphold its objection to the city’s proposed permit with no effluent discharge limit for 1,4-dioxane into the drinking water supply of hundreds of thousands downstream.
