Environmental groups argue that Martin Marietta’s preferred plan to enlarge its Castle Hayne quarry would permanently destroy 140-plus acres of pristine wetlands and around 10 acres of open water classified as primary nursery and strategic habitat areas, and essential fish habitat.
Spotlight
Albemarle Region’s tallest hotel offered luxurious amenities
The nine-story, 100-room Virginia Dare Hotel, completed in 1927 amid a hotel industry trend of going taller and taller, enjoyed a only a brief heyday but still stands as an Elizabeth City icon.
Duke Energy takes nearly $130 million to kill its wind project
The Interior Department has announced that Charlotte-based Duke Energy will terminate its offshore wind lease off Bald Head Island and “refocus” the $129 million taxpayer buyout back on fossil fuels and nuclear power.
Agencies plod on as audit shows Currituck bridge funding gap
Amid a bad financial outlook and local opposition and concerns, a recent state audit of the long-planned transportation project paints a bleak picture with shortfalls nearly impossible to fill.
Nonprofit, developer carve path to protect Sledge Forest tract
The North Carolina Coastal Land Trust has come to a tentative purchase and sale agreement with Charlotte-based Copper Builders to preserve more than 3,200 acres of Sledge Forest on the Northeast Cape Fear River.
Stein to Chemours: ‘Pay to help us clean up the pollution’
Gov. Josh Stein says Environmental Protection Agency’s settlement agreement with Chemours on PFAS pollution will likely do little to help North Carolina and that the state Environmental Management Commission and EPA handling of these contaminants were “unfortunate steps.”
Scientific data: Understanding rising sea levels for anglers
Dr. Shintaro Bunya, a scientist at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Center for Natural Hazards Resilience, works with government agencies and communities to help them better understand and prepare for coastal flood risks, and here he does the same for anglers.
Shark depredation isn’t new, but widely seen as modern issue
Hemingway wrote masterfully about an aging Cuban fisherman’s heartbreak after losing a giant marlin he’d caught to hungry sharks, a problem that is not an emerging issue, as is often perceived, according to a recently published study.
Report on effects of hardened shorelines offers no easy fix
As bills to undo 40 years of coastal policy loom in Raleigh, the Coastal Resources Commission Science Panel last week presented its draft report on erosion-control structures and advised careful consideration of any new projects.
Committee advances bills upending 40-year coastal policy
Bills advanced in the legislature Wednesday that would not only repeal the state’s 40-year ban on breakwaters, bulkheads, seawalls, jetties, revetments, and terminal groins, but also provide taxpayer dollars to build and maintain terminal groins.
Joel Fodrie named director of Duke Marine Lab
Dr. Joel Fodrie is leaving his post as director of UNC Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City to lead Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort.
Brinson touts bills to ax ocean erosion-control structure ban
Sen. Bob Brinson discussed the bills last week in committee, measures that would undo four decades of coastal policy, just as the science advisory panel to the Coastal Resources Commission readies a report on these structures’ effects and effectiveness.
Moratoriums leave NC shellfish farmers with few options
Shellfish lease moratoriums covering several coastal counties have pushed growers to the waters near Topsail Island, and the resulting pushback could lead to further restrictions, but growers say producing in-demand, presentation-perfect oysters is difficult enough without the fight.
New fisheries rules, amendments now in effect
New rules and amendments adopted by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission, including false albacore management, are now in effect.
Chancellor visits Institute of Marine Sciences, its researchers
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee H. Roberts spent Tuesday in Carteret County meeting with researchers at the university’s Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City as part of his second summer tour.
Crews set out to pull more abandoned boats from area waters
The North Carolina Coastal Federation, with a $450,000 grant from the BoatUS Foundation, has launched its latest effort to rid coastal marshes and waterways of abandoned and derelict vessels.
