Coastal Review Online will post a roundup of coastal legislative news every Friday while the N.C. General Assembly is in session. A new bill aimed at eliminating idle state boards and commissions and streamlining others would revamp dozens of state panels including the Coastal Resources Commission, Environmental Management Commission and…
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Sea-Level Rise Debate May Move to Raleigh
RALEIGH — A bill that could be introduced when the N.C. General Assembly convenes Wednesday would prevent state agencies and local governments from planning for the higher seas that many scientists expect later this century as the climate warms. Instead, the bill requires that any state forecast for future sea-level…
State Marine Fisheries Division May Disappear
RALEIGH — For the state’s Division of Marine Fisheries, this was already shaping up to be a particularly busy summer. A new sea turtle protection plan is in the works. There’s a heated, ongoing debate between the commercial and recreational fishing industries over a proposed bill on red drum, striped…
Environmental Agencies May Face Smaller Cuts
RALEIGH — The state’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources will retain all seven of its regional offices, under a plan reviewed this week by budget writers in the state House. Legislators are putting the finishing touches on plans for a 1.5 percent across the board cut for state agencies,…
Jones Island: Education and Restoration
From a distance, Jones Island seems remote and wild, like a set from one of those reality TV shows. SWANSBORO — As you approach Jones Island in a skiff, it’s easy to imagine you’re in the South Pacific, speeding toward a grand adventure much like the ones that unfolded for…
Clean Water Trust Fund Just Hanging On
First of two parts RALEIGH — The annual round of grant applications to the state’s Clean Water Management Trust Fund topped out at 161 this year, just over the 160 requests in 2011. They’re spread throughout the state: 53 in the western counties, 49 in the central and 57 in…
Coastal Policy to Remain Intact… for Now
Last of two parts RALEIGH – Though Republicans who now control the N.C. General Assembly have vowed to cut through the regulatory red tape that is purportedly hindering businesses and job creation, don’t expect to see any immediate changes to coastal rules and regulations, said a leader in the state…
Regulatory ‘Reform’ Starts to Take Shape
First of two parts RALEIGH — The term “red tape” has its origins in the centuries old practice of tying up legal documents in red ribbon. For just about as long, “cutting through red tape” has been synonymous with overcoming burdensome rules and bureaucracy. But one person’s burden is often…
Bill Would Ease Hog Farm Biogas Permitting
North Carolina Legislative Building, Raleigh. Environmental groups are pushing for changes in biogas provisions that are part of this year’s farm bill, saying the legislation takes away important oversight of the new technology. The Farm Act of 2021, Senate Bill 605, would put the projects under a combined general permit,…
House OKs Limits On Firefighting Foam With PFAS
Marines extinguish a fire during a training exercise at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in August 2013. Legislation passed in the North Carolina House that would restrict the use of firefighting foam containing PFAS. Photo: U.S. Marine Corps, Lance Cpl. Shawn Valosin RALEIGH — Legislation to tighten requirements on…
House moves ahead on budget, flood mitigation plan
The North Carolina General Assembly meets in the State Legislative Building in Raleigh, seen here in Feb. 2018. Photo: Frank Taylor/Carolina Public Press RALEIGH — House budget committees are due to start up Wednesday after an abrupt shift in plans were announced late last week ahead of the legislature’s Memorial…
Consensus builds for major flood mitigation legislation
North Carolina National Guard soldiers are shown responding in floodwaters after Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Photo: U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. Leticia Samuels RALEIGH — A broad array of provisions aimed at flood prevention and resilience continues to move forward in this year’s session of the North Carolina General Assembly….