This year saw changes in the state and federal government that will likely shape environmental policy in the coming year.
Search Results for: Kirk Ross
Limited GenX Data, Public Messaging At Issue
The science panel that advises state environmental and health secretaries is grappling with a lack of studies on health effects of GenX and how to communicate what’s known to decision-makers and the public.
GenX Battle Expected As Legislature Returns
State lawmakers head back to Raleigh this week with a showdown likely over Gov. Roy Cooper’s recent veto of an environmental bill that included limited funding to address GenX in the Cape Fear River.
Scientists Push Ahead With GenX Research
Published in partnership with North Carolina Health News Water filtration effectiveness, effects on human health, persistence in river sediments, and bioaccumulation in eastern oyster beds are among a new set of studies driven by public concern over GenX and the dearth of science surrounding it. Scientists and regulators are mapping out how to monitor and… [Read More]
Analysis: Environmental Bills Shaped In Secret
Closed-door negotiations have increasingly become the norm in the North Carolina General Assembly, especially with contentious environmental measures such as the recently passed House Bill 56.
Funds to Address GenX OK’d After Bitter Fight
Funding to address the GenX contamination in the Cape Fear region’s drinking water was approved Thursday as part of a controversial measure that’s been on hold since April.
Legislative Commission Enters GenX Fray
The legislature’s Environmental Review Commission met in Wilmington Wednesday, where they heard for the first time from local officials and the public about the GenX contamination of the region’s water supply.
GenX Pollution: What Happened? And When?
Reprinted from North Carolina Health News Although extremely serious on its own, contamination by the industrial chemical GenX in the Cape Fear River is significant beyond potential risks to the public drinking water downstream. Public scrutiny of how the industrial chemical got there in the first place is raising awareness of scientific concerns about potential… [Read More]
Agency Heads Respond to GenX Questions
Department of Health and Human Services’ Secretary Mandy Cohen and Department of Environmental Quality’s Secretary Michael Regan responded Monday to a recent letter from seven state senators who questioned Gov. Roy Cooper’s handling of the GenX contamination and related funding request.
Cooper Rolls Out State Response to GenX
Gov. Roy Cooper went to Wilmington Monday to outline a state action plan to deal with the GenX contamination, promising to deny the company’s discharge permit and investigate potential criminal violations.
Cooper Vows to Lead Offshore Drilling Fight
Gov. Roy Cooper, during an appearance Thursday at Fort Macon State Park, said the state’s environment and “robust coastal economy” are not worth the risks from offshore oil drilling and exploration.
Legislature Pauses, Environmental Bills Wait
While solar industry changes and a wind project moratorium passed, bills with coastal stormwater changes, the creation of a new fund to pay for beach re-nourishment, new dredging plans and repeal of the plastic bag ban on the Outer Banks remain on the table.
