District Court Judge Terrence Boyle last week denied Robert White’s motion for a preliminary injunction in the Pasquotank County man’s challenge to Clean Water Act enforcement against him.
WOTUS
Wildlife groups seek to intervene in Pasquotank man’s case
The National Wildlife Federation and the North Carolina Wildlife Federation say Robert White’s dispute with the EPA and the Corps of Engineers could result in further narrowing of wetland protections with devastating water quality and economic effects.
A million new acres: Cooper sets lofty conservation goals
Environmental advocates are calling the governor’s latest executive order to conserve and restore forests and wetlands and plant 1 million trees in urban areas “ambitious and important.”
Five years after Florence: A look back at resilience efforts
Guest commentary: The effects of Hurricane Florence in 2018 linger today, and though progress toward resilience has been made, the recent loss of wetland protections will come to bear after future storms.
Decades of water quality safeguards erased, advocates say
Groups that have for more than 40 years led the fight for clean water say the public may not be fully aware of the potentially devastating effects the latest federal rule could have for NC wetlands.
New federal rule puts 2.5 million acres of wetlands in peril
The Clean Water Act rule issued Tuesday redefines “waters of the United States” and leaves unprotected wetlands with no surface connection to navigable water bodies.
Analysis: Farm Act strips wetland safeguards, mitigation
Special report: The governor’s veto not withstanding, this legislative session’s farm bill is now law, and with it, state offsets and water quality protections for eastern North Carolina’s wetland environments may have evaporated.
Cooper vetoes bill curtailing state protection of wetlands
Language in Senate Bill 582 would repeal state protections for an estimated 2.5 million acres of wetlands, Cooper said.
Bill limiting NC wetland protections sent to Gov. Cooper
The measure removes the state’s regulatory authority that now protects federally nonjurisdictional wetlands.
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.”
NC farm bill would restrict how state defines wetlands
Environmentalists say the bill would strip the state’s ability to fill in regulatory gaps to protect federally nonjurisdictional waters, including isolated wetlands.
House falls short in move to override WOTUS-rollback veto
The 227-196 vote included all seven North Carolina House Republicans and 1st District Democratic Rep. Don Davis in favor of the veto override.
Federal rule reinstates longstanding clean water protections
President Biden’s final rule defining “waters of the United States” restores federal protections for streams, lakes, ponds and millions of acres of wetlands in North Carolina.
National group designates Neuse ‘River of the Year’
American Rivers, which had previously called the Neuse one of the country’s most endangered, hailed progress made.
Final review ahead for wetland rules to fill permitting gap
The state Rules Review Commission is set to consider proposed permanent rules created to correct a gap in North Carolina’s permitting authority over certain federally defined wetlands.
Webinar on clean water rule’s effect on agriculture set
A virtual meeting is set for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday to review the effects of former, current and proposed changes to the regulatory definition of Waters of the United States and explore what the changes will mean for farmers and their property.
