Press Releases

State officials are postponing a grants workshop scheduled for Sept. 27 in Plymouth due to the travel restrictions imposed on state employees following a fuel leak in Alabama. The purpose of the workshop was to share information with local governments about grant opportunities in order to acquire land and make improvements to beach and waterfront access, parks, and boating facilities.

The Marine Fisheries Commission Standard Commercial Fishing License Criteria Committee will meet at 10 a.m. Sept. 30 at the Crystal Coast Civic Center, 3505 Arendell St., Morehead City. The commission voted in February to convene a committee, made up of a sub-group of commission members, to discuss issues pertaining to the requirements for receiving a standard commercial fishing license in North Carolina. 

State officials will participate in a federal public meeting on Sept. 21 in Nags Head to accept comments from the public and answer questions about a proposed wind energy lease sale along the coast. The meeting will be held from on Sept. 21 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Jennette’s Pier, 7223 South Virginia Dare Trail in Nags Head. The U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is hosting the meeting.

North Carolina has been honored for a state program supported by Governor McCrory that helps local governments, state agencies, schools and universities save money on utility projects. Staff with the North Carolina Utility Savings Initiative received the 2016 Energy Stewardship Champion Award on Aug. 24 from the National Energy Services Coalition. North Carolina is one of only six states recognized this year.

The state environmental department has sent an environmental justice analysis for a proposed coal ash landfill at Duke Energy’s Dan River facility to the federal EPA’s Office of Civil Rights and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.  The state previously submitted an environmental justice review of the Sutton coal ash facility in Wilmington. The federal civil rights offices would not provide comments up front on the Sutton review, saying it preferred instead to investigate any complaints that may be filed after the fact.

State environmental officials have issued a permit that is needed to safely close coal ash ponds in Catawba county. The permit allows Duke Energy to begin draining water from its coal ash ponds at the Marshall Steam Station in Hickory, a necessary first step toward safely closing the ponds.

State environmental officials have issued a permit that is needed to safely close coal ash ponds in Catawba county. The permit allows Duke Energy to begin draining water from its coal ash ponds at the Marshall Steam Station in Hickory, a necessary first step toward safely closing the ponds.

State officials are reminding the public to avoid contact with green water in the Chowan River, as algal blooms linger from Edenton Bay to the upstream town of Colerain.

The North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission will meet Sept. 13 and 14 at the New Hanover County Government Center, 230 Government Drive in Wilmington. The meeting will begin at 1:15 p.m. on Sept. 13 and 9 a.m. on Sept. 14. The meeting is open to the public. Some items on the commission’s agenda include:

State environmental officials have notified well owners within half a mile of coal ash facilities that they will receive a permanent alternate drinking water supply.  The notification went out by letter this week to about 1,000 households. “North Carolina continues to lead the nation in addressing the decades-old problem of coal ash,” said Tom Reeder, assistant secretary of the state environmental department. “As we work toward closing every coal ash pond in the state, we are providing residents with the peace of mind that comes from receiving alternate water connections.”