Press Releases

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program sank a 55-foot trawler at AR-305, off Cape Lookout, last week.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission this week chose preferred management measures for the N.C. Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan Amendment 1 that merged recommendations from its advisory committees, as well as public comment, with proposals from the Division of Marine Fisheries.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) is accepting public comments on an analysis of smoke impacts in North Carolina from the 2023 Canadian wildfires. This analysis, called an Exceptional Events Demonstration, is intended to support DAQ’s recommendation that the state be designated in attainment with a stricter air quality standard for fine particulate matter.

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) Science Panel is scheduled to meet via web conference on Dec. 5 at 9 a.m. to continue its review of Inlet Hazard Area boundaries. The public may listen to the meeting by computer or phone.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is accepting project applications for funding to help coastal cities and towns in North Carolina recover from hurricane damage. The deadline to submit an application is 5 p.m. on Jan. 24.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Flood Resiliency Blueprint is working with the North Carolina Land and Water Fund (NCLWF) to implement flood reduction and floodplain protection projects. DEQ is allocating over $9 million to 15 NCLWF projects that will provide an estimated 465 acre-feet of flood water retention, or 152 million gallons, during flood events. 

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Edenton National Fish Hatchery have joined together to enhance the Striped Bass population in the lower Cape Fear River in hopes of boosting natural reproduction in the waterway.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources will hold a hearing on Dec. 17 to hear public comment on the proposed renewal of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for Lear Corp.’s industrial textile facility near Kenansville. The permit regulates pollutants discharged in the facility’s wastewater.

La División de Recursos Hídricos del Departamento de Calidad Ambiental de Carolina del Norte celebrará una audiencia el 17 de diciembre para escuchar los comentarios públicos sobre la propuesta de renovación del permiso del Sistema Nacional de Eliminación de Vertidos Contaminantes para la planta textil industrial de Lear Corp. cerca de Kenansville. El permiso regula los contaminantes vertidos en las aguas residuales de la planta.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet in person Nov. 20-22 at the Islander Hotel & Resort, 102 Islander Drive, Emerald Isle, NC 28594. The meeting will also be livestreamed on YouTube.