Press Releases

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality plans to hold new public comment periods and public hearings to enable feedback for two facilities seeking air quality permits in the Wilmington area. The new public comment periods for both draft permits are a response to heightened public interest in the permits.

Recent rainfall has helped to rid North Carolina of moderate drought conditions for the first time since last October, wiping out the lingering drought conditions in the western Piedmont.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality will hold a series of information sessions on the proposed plan to use North Carolina’s share of a national settlement with Volkswagen.

The North Carolina Science Advisory Board will hold its fourth meeting in Raleigh on Monday to discuss regulatory water standards and benchmark dose modeling, among other topics. To see the draft agenda online, go to: https://deq.nc.gov/news/hot-topics/genx-investigation/secretaries-science-advisory-board.

State officials are hosting a public hearing Mar. 22 on the Pender County Utilities’ request to transfer more water from a neighboring river basin to meet the system’s projected water demands.

Members of the N.C. Oil and Gas Commission will hold their first meeting in Raleigh on Wednesday to swear-in new members and become familiar with their responsibilities for adopting rules on oil and gas exploration in North Carolina.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality is inviting additional public feedback on rules drafted to better protect public health and the environment when coal ash wastes are disposed of and recycled.  

The state Department of Environmental Quality’s Recycling Program recently provided $574,000 in recycling business development grants to 21 North Carolina recycling companies that are expected to create 66 jobs and generate more than $2.1 million in new, private business investments while reducing the state’s dependence on landfill disposal.

Along with the return of spring blooms and sticky pollen, today marks the start of the 2018 ozone season. State and local environmental agencies will issue daily air quality forecasts for ozone in seven metropolitan areas across North Carolina through Oct. 30.

*This is an updated version as of 3:15 PM on February 27th, 2018.* The state Department of Environmental Quality today issued an air quality permit for the Northampton Compressor Station for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project. After an engaged public process, staff with DEQ’s Division of Air Quality revised the original draft permit to accurately address emissions and require future permit modifications if needed.