Press Releases

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.

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.

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.

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. 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.

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

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) will hold a special meeting August 6 by web conference to review fiscal analyses associated with permanent rulemaking. Members of the public may join by computer or phone.

NOTE: Please note the meeting location has been changed to the 5th Floor Conference Room in the Archdale Building.

Want to know what the latest data says about Spotted Seatrout, Blue Crab or Southern Flounder in North Carolina? Find out by reading the DEQ Division of Marine Fisheries’ (DMF) 2023 Fishery Management Plan Review, released today.