Press Releases

The state Division of Coastal Management wants to hear from local government officials about weather-related challenges following the damage from Hurricane Matthew. Feedback from local governments about needs following environmental disasters, such as Hurricane Matthew, will help state coastal officials identify and prioritize resources to assist coastal communities with recovery.  

State officials and an environmental group have successfully settled a legal challenge involving a property in Asheville that is being transformed into a public park. In March, Enka Partners of Asheville, LLC, entered into a brownfields agreement with the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality. The agreement allows Enka Partners to safely convert a former industrial landfill into a public park with greenways and ballfields.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Secretary Michael S. Regan announced today several key appointments to his leadership team.   “We’re assembling a talented and experienced leadership team to both address the challenges as well as seize the numerous opportunities at DEQ,” Regan said. “All are proven leaders with strong track records in environmental stewardship who have devoted much of their careers to working with diverse stakeholders from a wide range of viewpoints as a way to find practical solutions to complex problems.”

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Secretary Michael S. Regan announced today several key appointments to his leadership team.   “We’re assembling a talented and experienced leadership team to both address the challenges as well as seize the numerous opportunities at DEQ,” Regan said. “All are proven leaders with strong track records in environmental stewardship who have devoted much of their careers to working with diverse stakeholders from a wide range of viewpoints as a way to find practical solutions to complex problems.”

State officials say work has been completed to protect a community from possible exposure to asbestos that was discovered on an exposed slope in Davidson. Staff with the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services oversaw the work, which was conducted by a contractor for Metrolina Warehouses LLC, the owner of the property at 301 Depot St. The work, which started Monday, took three days to complete, said Michael Scott, director of the state Division of Waste Management in DEQ whose staff oversaw the work.

The North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission will meet at 9 a.m. Feb. 8 at the Hilton Double Tree, 2717 West Fort Macon Road in Atlantic Beach. The meeting is open to the public. Items on the commission’s agenda include:

State environmental and public health officials will oversee work this week in Davidson to protect people from potential exposure after asbestos materials were identified coming from an exposed slope in the Mecklenburg County community.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, has given preliminary approval to Duke Energy’s plans to provide permanent alternate water supplies to homes near coal ash facilities. 

North Carolina has taken a series of steps to meet the more stringent sulfur dioxide standard that the federal government adopted in 2010 and maintain its full compliance with federal air quality standards, state environmental officials said today.

Local advisory committees for three coastal reserve sites will meet in January. The meetings are open to the public. The meetings are being held to gather input from the committees and the public on the management of potential shellfish cultivation at the three Reserve sites where waters are open for shellfish harvesting.