Press Releases

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources (DWR) will hold a public hearing on April 22 to hear public comment on proposed changes to North Carolina’s surface water quality standards, including the addition of standard for E. coli as an indicator of pathogens, or disease-causing organisms, in recreational waters.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) State Energy Office will hold a public hearing on April 17 and accept public comments on the Weatherization Assistance Program’s Annual State Plan. Members of the public are invited to attend in person or online.

Anglers who catch Bluefin Tuna and billfishes in North Carolina no longer need to report those catches to the state. As of today, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries has discontinued its Highly Migratory Species Catch Card Program.

The N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve will hold Spring local advisory committee meetings April 22-23 for the following reserve sites. All meetings are in-person only and open to the public.  

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) is now accepting public comments on a draft Title V air quality permit for Edwards Wood Products, Inc. – Laurinburg Saw Mill #2 in Scotland County.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will accept public comment on draft Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 4 from April 1 to April 30. Draft Amendment 4 would expedite the sector allocation shift to 50/50 (commercial/recreational) by one year to 2025.

Today, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Secretary Reid Wilson and the DEQ Division of Mitigation Services (DMS) held a groundbreaking of the Stoney Creek Watershed Flood Mitigation Pilot Project to address chronic flooding impacting businesses, roadways and access to emergency services in Wayne County and Goldsboro. 

The North Carolina Mining Commission will meet at 1 p.m. on April 8, 2025, in Raleigh. The public is invited to attend in person or online.

The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council expanded the moderate drought classification to include 70 counties in the latest advisory released Thursday.

Smoke from South Carolina wildfires has the potential to create very unhealthy air quality in Transylvania and Henderson Counties on Friday, and other nearby counties, including Buncombe County, may also experience unhealthy air quality from smoke. Residents are urged to take precautions.The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) is forecasting the following Air Quality Action Days for Friday: