Press Releases

The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council classified eight counties in eastern North Carolina as experiencing severe drought, or D2 conditions, in the latest advisory issued Thursday. Another 50 counties in the Piedmont and western North Carolina were classified as experiencing moderate drought, or D1 conditions, while 32 counties were classified as abnormally dry.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources will hold a public hearing on June 26 to receive public comment on the codification of the revised definition of “wetlands” within state rules. Members of the public may attend in-person or join the meeting by computer or phone.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries recently established a new state record for Vermilion Snapper (Rhomboplites aurorubens).

NCDEQ’s Division of Marine Fisheries is urging those who hold commercial fishing, seafood dealer and for-hire licenses and permits to go ahead and renew those licenses and permits this month.

NCDEQ’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) will conduct a spring training workshop May 6-7 in Swansboro for local permit officers in the central and southern regions of their 20 coastal counties service area.

The North Carolina Oil and Gas Commission will meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Raleigh.

An advisory against swimming was posted today at a sound-side site in Dare County, where state recreational water quality officials found bacteria levels in the water that exceed the state’s and Environmental Protection Agency’s recreational water quality standards.

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) will meet April 30 and May 1 at the Dare County Government Center, 954 Marshall C. Collins Drive, Manteo. The regular business meeting of the CRC will be called to order at 1 p.m. on April 30 and will resume at 9 a.m. on May 1. A public input and comment period is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. on May 1. At the chair’s discretion, comments may be limited to 3 minutes per person. The public may attend the CRC meeting in-person or join online.

The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission will meet May 7-8 in the Ground Floor Hearing Room of the Archdale Building in Raleigh. Members of the public may attend in-person or join the meeting by computer or phone.