Press Releases

RALEIGH – The community information session scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, March 12, at Hope Mills Middle has been postponed. Given the current guidance on minimizing the spread of COVID-19 and the recommendation that people at high risk of illness should avoid large groups and community gatherings, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will reschedule the meeting.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is accepting project applications for $11.5 million in funding to help coastal cities and towns recover from hurricane damage. The deadline to submit an application is April 30, 2020.

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission’s (CRC) Science Panel will meet at the N.C. Cooperative Extension - Craven County Center, 300 Industrial Dr., New Bern on Tuesday, March 10, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The meeting is open to the public. Also, the public may listen to the meeting via web conference.

Along with the return of spring blooms and pollen, March 1 marks the beginning of the 2020 ozone season. From now through October 31, the daily air quality forecasts from the North Carolina Division of Air Quality (DAQ) will, for the first time, include forecasts for ozone for nearly all counties in the state. 

MOREHEAD CITY - A N.C. Coastal Resources Commission’s (CRC) subcommittee will meet by conference call on Tuesday, March 3 at 9 a.m. to discuss the implementation of development lines and static line exceptions on oceanfront beaches. The public is welcome to attend the phone conference meeting in person at the Division of Coastal Management’s Morehead City Office, 400 Commerce Ave., Morehead City, NC.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) submitted a letter of intent to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, on behalf of the state of North Carolina, to obtain ownership of three locks and dams in the Cape Fear River between Wilmington and Fayetteville.

RALEIGH – The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will host a community information session on Thursday, March 12 in Hope Mills. DEQ staff will provide updates on the status of current actions to prevent and remediate PFAS contamination from the Chemours Fayetteville Works Facility, including the testing of private wells and public water feasibility determinations.  DEQ is also extending the comment period to April 6 on the proposed groundwater corrective action plan submitted by Chemours to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in groundwater at the facility. 

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, on two draft permits for Carolina Sunrock LLC. 

The N.C. Environmental Management Commission (EMC) will meet March 4 and 5 at the Archdale Building, 512 N. Salisbury Street in Raleigh. Committees will meet Wednesday, March 4, with the full commission meeting Thursday, March 5. All of the meetings will be held in the Ground Floor Hearing Room.

Division of Marine Fisheries Director Steve Murphey has announced that the 2020 recreational flounder season will be Aug. 16 through Sept. 30 for internal and ocean waters of the state.