Press Releases

Drought has returned to North Carolina for the first time in more than a year.  Lack of adequate rainfall and hot temperatures have pushed 10 counties in southeastern North Carolina into a moderate drought, according to the state’s drought map, which is updated every Thursday. Thirty other counties in eastern and central North Carolina are abnormally dry, which means they are not experiencing drought but could be if dry conditions persist. Today’s drought map can be found at www.ncdrought.org.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) issued an administrative amendment to the air permit for the Chemours Company Fayetteville Works facility.

Statement from DEQ Secretary Michael S. Regan regarding the Senate budget provision delaying the three animal waste permits by one year: After a lengthy and transparent process involving discussions with numerous stakeholders from all walks of life and a review of more than 6,500 public comments, DEQ revised three permits to provide more certainty to farmers and communities. The Senate’s budget provision, unlike our permit process or even a proposed bill, lacks transparency and justification.

The N.C. Sedimentation Control Commission will meet Wednesday, May 29, 2019, in the Ground Floor Hearing Room of the Archdale Building in downtown Raleigh.

State officials are investigating a fish kill in the lower portion of the Neuse River near Havelock in the areas of Flanners Beach and Carolina Pines. 

The N.C. Division of Water Resources has honored 57 water treatment plants for surpassing federal and state drinking water standards in 2018. 

RALEIGH – The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality plans to unveil a North Carolina Community Mapping System at the fourth meeting of the Secretary’s Environmental Justice (EJ) and Equity Advisory Board meeting tomorrow in Charlotte. The meeting will be held from 10:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. at UNC-Charlotte’s Harris Alumni Center at Johnson Glen.

Local governments along with coastal residents and business owners will soon sit down with climate scientists, state and federal agencies and other experts to discuss one of the most pressing issues facing our coast: how to make their communities and businesses more resilient to climate impacts and intense weather events. 

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality is providing technical assistance and guidance to local recycling programs affected by changing market conditions and cost models for recycling.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Secretary Michael Regan and more than a dozen coastal leaders met last week to discuss the dangers of seismic testing and offshore drilling.  Since then 10 more mayors have signed a resolution stating their opposition.