Press Releases

To: Interested Parties From: Sharon Martin, Communications Director Date:  June 26, 2019 Re:  DEQ Secretary statement on the conference budget After a careful review of the conference budget, DEQ finds the budget does not adequately address the needs of the department to protect the air, water, and land quality of the state.

State recreational water quality officials today are alerting the public that initial testing at a sound-side site in Beaufort County showed levels of bacteria exceeding the state’s and Environmental Protection Agency’s recreational water quality swimming standards.

State recreational water quality officials today are alerting the public that initial testing at a sound-side site in Beaufort County showed levels of bacteria exceeding the state’s and Environmental Protection Agency’s recreational water quality swimming standards.

The N.C. Division of Coastal Management and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office are urging the public to act responsibly during the upcoming July Fourth holiday at the Masonboro Island Reserve, a research reserve and dedicated state nature preserve.

The North Carolina Climate Change Interagency Council will hold its fourth meeting in Winston-Salem on Tuesday, July 16th.  The agenda will include speakers from the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies (NCICS) along with updates from agencies directed to prepare plans and assessments.  Also on the agenda are updates on other activities related to Section 9 of Executive Order 80, involving climate impacts, adaptation, and resilience.

The N.C. Division of Coastal Management issued an emergency permit to the N.C. Department of Transportation (DOT) to address an urgent situation at the South Dock Ferry Terminal on the north end of Ocracoke Island. This emergency major permit, under the Coastal Area Management Act, authorizes DOT to construct an approximately 1000-linear-foot bulkhead to protect against severe shoreline erosion that is a growing threat to the ferry terminal basin and stacking lanes.

The public is invited to comment on the proposed air quality rule changes to regulate emissions of methyl bromide at log fumigation operations. The Division of Air Quality (DAQ) will also host public hearings on the proposed rules in Raleigh, on July 22, and Wilmington, on July 23.

The Request for Proposals (RFPs) for Diesel and Bus projects and DC-Fast Charge projects are now available from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.  The RFPs are part of the first phase of the Volkswagen Settlement Mitigation plan and include more than $27 million in potential funding. The Division of Air Quality (DAQ) has released two RFPs for projects that achieve significant reductions in emissions.  Under the Diesel and Bus Program:

The N.C. Division of Coastal Management has found that a proposed seismic survey related to oil and gas exploration in the Atlantic Ocean off the North Carolina coast is inconsistent with state coastal management policies.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) will host a public meeting and public hearing on Monday, July 15, on a draft permit for Enviva Pellets Sampson, LLC.  The facility has applied for modifications of the existing Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit to incorporate air pollution control equipment and an increase in production.