Press Releases

All coastal waters in North Carolina will temporarily close to shellfish harvest at sunrise Thursday

State recreational water quality officials are advising the public to avoid swimming in all coastal waters of North Carolina following Hurricane Florence.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is asking fishermen to keep a close eye on the progress of Hurricane Florence and to start getting ready for the storm now.

The N.C. Oil and Gas Commission meeting planned for Thursday has been cancelled due to expected impacts in the Raleigh area from Hurricane Florence.

The North Carolina Division of Air Quality is accepting proposals to fund clean diesel projects.  More than $694,000 is available for eligible projects through the Mobile Source Diesel Emission Reduction Grant program.  The grants can be used to cover a wide range of projects including repowering non-road construction or agricultural equipment with cleaner burning engines, converting vehicles to run on alternative fuels and repowering a locomotive.  

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality will host a public meeting on Oct. 4 in Greenville to obtain input on the state’s draft swine waste management system general permit (AWG100000), which nearly all North Carolina hog farms are required to comply with. Information shared at the event will include a summary of a technical workgroup session held earlier that day. Community feedback obtained through the meeting will assist environmental regulators in preparing a final draft permit which will be published for public review early next year.  

Officials with the N.C. Secretaries’ Science Advisory Board are asking the public for input on a report that will provide recommendations on a reference dose to be used to establish water quality standards, as well as recommendations on the derivation and calculation of the health goal for GenX. The draft report is the culmination of extensive research and deliberations by the board, which provides guidance to the state departments of Environmental Quality and Health and Human Services as the agencies work to address emerging compounds statewide.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries recently certified two state record fish, one establishing a state record for a gray snapper and the other breaking the record for a gag grouper.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality received the Special Achievement in GIS award from geographic information system provider Earth Science Research Institute (ESRI) because of its innovative application of mapping, data analytics and leadership in the field of environmental protection.

North Carolina has submitted its plan for the state’s $92 million share of a national settlement with Volkswagen for unlawfully cheating on vehicle emissions. The Volkswagen Mitigation Plan details how the state will invest the first 33% of the funds in Phase 1 on projects to significantly reduce NOx emissions and improve air quality.