Press Releases

RALEIGH – The open burning of trash, metal, plastic and all other man-made materials not only harms the environment and poses a public health risk, it’s against state law.The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality is reminding North Carolinians: If it doesn’t grow, don’t burn it. Open burning is only allowed in limited circumstances and only for vegetative materials like leaves, limbs and yard debris.

State officials today lifted the precautionary advisory against swimming issued due to Tropical Storm Debby for all but two ocean-side sites. All sound-side areas remain under advisory.The precautionary advisory is lifted for all ocean-side swimming sites, except one ocean-side site in Brunswick County and an ocean site in Dare County. Test results of water samples taken from these waters show bacterial levels that meet the state’s and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s safe swimming standards.The precautionary advisory against swimming remains in effect for:

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet in person Aug. 21-23 at the Hilton Raleigh North Hills, in Raleigh. The meeting will also be livestreamed on YouTube.

MOREHEAD CITY – State recreational water quality officials are advising the public to avoid swimming in North Carolina coastal waters from Wright Memorial Bridge in Kitty Hawk south to the South Carolina State line affected by Tropical Storm Debby.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) invites residents to hear updates on fine particulate matter air pollution in North Carolina.The webinar is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 19. A recording will be posted to the Division’s website. Live Spanish interpretation will be available during the webinar.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Standard Commercial Fishing License Eligibility Board will meet by teleconference at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 22. The board will consider license applications that are deemed complete and submitted by Oct. 1.

Today, Governor Roy Cooper joined United States Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to announce new funding through the Department of Energy to enhance North Carolina’s electrical grid and increase capacity for renewable energy storage. They were joined by N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Elizabeth Biser and other officials as they announced the second round of funding through the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program at the Duke Energy facility in Garner.

On Monday, August 5, a days-old wild horse, and resident of the Rachel Carson Reserve, was seen exhibiting signs of extreme distress. Paula Gillikin, NCDEQ Division of Coastal Management’s Coastal Reserve site manager for the Rachel Carson Reserve, observed and examined the female foal at the Reserve. After consulting with the Reserve’s local equine veterinarian, the Division subsequently moved the horse from the Reserve for further examination and treatment.

The North Carolina Mining Commission will meet at 1 p.m. on August 13, 2024, in Raleigh. The public is invited to attend in person or online.

The N.C. DEQ Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program sank a tugboat, Thomas Dann, on Aug 1 at AR-305, off Cape Lookout.