Press Releases

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has rescheduled the Lines of Communication meetings in North Carolina that were postponed due to inclement weather in early February.

The North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) will meet Feb. 25 and 26 at the Dunes Club, 710 E. Fort Macon Road, Atlantic Beach. Members of the public may attend in-person or join the meeting online.

The funding application period for the Recycling Infrastructure Grant program, which focuses on repairs in Helene-damaged regions, will close at the end of this week. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service (DEACS) a $25 million grant to support these efforts, part of a larger $61 million EPA award to DEQ. The award also includes funding for debris cleanup, pesticide removal, and brownfields development. Visit the NCDEQ Hazardous Waste Management State Program Support Grant webpage for more information.

The State Water Infrastructure Authority will meet in person in Raleigh and via teleconference (Webex) on Wednesday, Feb. 18, from 9 am – 4:15 pm. The public may listen to the meeting online or by phone.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will open a two-week, spring recreational Gulf Flounder season in ocean waters off the central and southeastern parts of coastal North Carolina.

Today in Woodfin, Governor Josh Stein announced $5.7 million in grants from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Flood Resiliency Blueprint to reduce flood risk in the French Broad River Basin. The announcement includes eight projects that will create new floodwater storage, restore and reconnect floodplains, relocate facilities and infrastructure out of harm’s way, and improve water quality.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries reminds commercial fishermen and the public that rotational harvest cultch sites in the Pamlico Sound remain open to mechanical oyster harvest, although the season has now closed in all other mechanical oyster harvest management areas.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources (DEMLR) is awarding more than $7.3 million to support repairs for several high-hazard dams that were damaged during Hurricane Helene.

According to the N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council’s (DMAC) latest classifications issued Thursday, 72 counties in the state are in severe drought, 24 counties are in moderate drought and one county is abnormally dry. Parts of three counties are in extreme drought: Cabarrus, Stanly and Union counties.

The Division of Water Infrastructure will conduct its Spring 2026 Funding Application Training Feb. 23 - March 4 at three locations statewide, including a March 4 virtual option that will be recorded and posted on the Division’s website.

In a recent decision, the Wake County Superior Court has upheld the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s authority to set wastewater permit limits for 1,4-dioxane, a chemical that has been classified as a likely human carcinogen.

The Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) has issued a permit to Dare County for a beach nourishment project that is planned for this summer at the Village of Buxton. DCM also issued a letter to the county affirming that the proposed work to rebuild one of three groins near the former site of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse qualifies as “repair” under the Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) and the Coastal Resources Commission’s (CRC) rules and does not therefore require a CAMA permit for the project to proceed.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Standard Commercial Fishing License Eligibility Board will meet at 10:30 a.m. on April 15 by teleconference. The board will consider license applications that are deemed complete and submitted by April 1.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Energy Saver North Carolina program is now available in all 100 North Carolina counties, empowering eligible households to lower their energy bills.