Nearly all who spoke Tuesday during a public hearing in Fayetteville criticized the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission’s proposed industrial discharge rules fail to protect the drinking water supply of people who live farther down the Cape Fear River.
public health
EPA adds microplastics, pharmaceuticals to contaminant list
In a first, the Environmental Protection Agency has included microplastics and pharmaceuticals on its draft list of substances in public drinking water that are unregulated but merit further scientific scrutiny.
Public comments regarding river basin transfer plan pour in
New issues of concern keep arising as officials in Wilmington and Brunswick County urge rejection of Fuquay-Varina’s plan on file with the state to take more than 6 million gallons per day from the Cape Fear River to meet its growth demands.
Public hearings set on proposed wastewater discharge rules
Six public hearings scheduled for next month through May will cover proposed PFAS and 1,4-dixoane monitoring and minimization rules governing wastewater discharges into North Carolina’s surface waters.
Coastal commission holds off changing septic system rules
The North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission is holding off on amendments to oceanfront septic tank rules to give the state’s environmental and health departments time to collaborate on the rulemaking process.
NC’s PFAS crisis a warning as Congress debates chemical laws
Supporters call the changes modernization; critics warn they could weaken safeguards in the Toxic Substances Control Act, the nation’s primary chemical safety law.
Commission OKs advancing wastewater rules to public review
The public will soon be able to lodge their comments about proposed rules mandating that public sewer plants test their treated discharge into rivers, creeks and streams for three types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and a chemical solvent.
Opponents say river water transfer puts Cape Fear in peril
Fuquay-Varina seeks to transfer 6.17 million gallons per day from the Cape Fear River Basin to the Neuse River Basin to meet the Piedmont town’s projected water demands.
Chemours cannot keep documents sealed, federal judge rules
Chemours and its predecessor company DuPont had sought to seal records including regulatory compliance monitoring reports and internal corporate communications about chemical production.
EPA seeks reporting rollback as new study finds hidden PFAS
The EPA says the change will cut red tape, but new research suggests regulators may already be missing major sources of contamination.
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.
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.
Port’s Cape Fear dredge project fails taxpayers, environment
Guest commentary: Deepening the Cape Fear River will only worsen flooding around the downtown Wilmington waterfront and the North Carolina Battleship site and lead to a substantial loss of vital wetlands and floodplains.
Chemours is doubling down on its toxic history: NRDC
Chemours is not a company that can be trusted to expand its operations responsibly, and it’s an example of the national PFAS pollution crisis, writes Drew Ball of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Dare County shelter announces its 2026 board of directors
OBX Room in The Inn, the only shelter in Dare County for unhoused persons, announced Monday its new leadership for the coming year.
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.
