The bill granting local governments authority to get rid of derelict vessels in navigable waters in their jurisdiction has been sent to Gov. Roy Cooper.
Spotlight
Supreme Court strikes down EPA’s wetlands definition
The 5-4 decision means that the definition, “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS, applies only to wetlands that have “continuous surface connection.”
Coastal Enhanced Weathering: A promising climate solution
UNCW professor Larry Cahoon writes that a nature-based climate restoration solution that his lab is collaborating on may eventually be able to capture a billion tons or more of carbon dioxide each year while reducing ocean acidity and helping to protect coastlines.
Corps allows channel sand for Wrightsville Beach project
The Army Corps of Engineers will exercise a federal Coastal Barrier Resources Act emergency exception and take sand for Wrightsville Beach nourishment from the Masonboro Inlet/Banks Channel borrow source instead of an offshore borrow site.
Ocracoke celebrates light station’s 200th anniversary
More than 500 gathered at the base of Ocracoke Lighthouse Thursday for the 200th birthday celebration of Ocracoke Light Station.
After 200th celebration, Ocracoke Light set for restoration
Thursday marks the 200th anniversary celebration of the Ocracoke Light Station, an event to be livestreamed on Facebook, and officials look to a $2 million project to preserve the historic site amid rising sea levels.
Park service seeks 10-year dredge, beach sand permit
For the first time in more than a decade, the National Park Service hopes to unclog two channels that passenger ferries and private boaters use to access Cape Lookout National Seashore, and place the material that is dredged onto the soundside beach in front of the lighthouse compound.
Deeds filed for Atlantic Beach dunes lead to access dispute
James Anthony Bunn has notified numerous beachfront property owners in Atlantic Beach that he now owns the dunes in front of their properties and that their continued access to the beach amounts to trespassing.
Golfing for bass — best use of a course is fishing, of course
While so many variables can make saltwater fishing especially challenging, bass fishing in golf course water hazards can bring success and satisfaction, but there are important points to consider.
Massachusetts turtles released on NC beach: A photo essay
Ten loggerheads that were cold-stunned off Cape Cod and treated at a Missouri aquarium were flown to North Carolina last week and released at Fort Macon State Park.
Topsail Beach holds hearing on inlet property rezoning
The request to rezone “The Point” from conservation to conditional use would allow Raleigh tech CEO Todd Olson to pursue plans to build a family compound.
Despite opposition, Dare OKs cluster home project permit
The unanimous vote in favor of the special use permit allows the 60-home project proposed for 10.5 acres in Wanchese to move forward.
Commission approves septic rule changes, flood disclosure
The state Coastal Resources Commission took separate actions last week to clarify two persistent issues: septic systems on the public beach, and residential flooding.
Flooding study reveals factors NOAA forecasts don’t include
Researchers with the Sunny Day Flooding Project used Beaufort’s Front Street as a case study to test a new, real-time sensor framework for detecting and measuring coastal flooding.
House, Senate bills would ban Atlantic offshore drilling
Democratic New Jersey Sens. Cory Booker and Frank Pallone held a roundtable meeting Monday to discuss the proposed ban, the latest in a long history of attempts.
Black Carolinians in fishing industry heart of new exhibit
NC Catch, the nonprofit that works to educate consumers about the importance of buying local seafood, is heading up a collaboration with Black seafood business owners and historians to create the N.C. Black Seafood Trail.
