Press Releases

The Division of Air Quality is awarding $1.14 million in DERA grants for projects that will reduce air pollution from diesel-powered mobile sources.

MOREHEAD CITY – State recreational water quality officials today lifted a water quality swimming advisory for a sound-side swimming area in Onslow County.

MOREHEAD CITY – State recreational water quality officials today advised beachgoers to be aware of the floodwaters being pumped to the ocean surf in Oak Island. Surfers and swimmers should avoid these sites.

After reviewing public comments, the Division of Air Quality issued a first-time Title V air quality permit to Columbia Plywood Corporation - Columbia Carolina Division in McDowell County.

For the past 12 months, the top priority of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has been to help communities in western North Carolina recover and rebuild from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. Staff from almost every division have devoted thousands of hours to the effort. DEQ has secured more than $800 million in federal and state funding, and has awarded nearly $200 million so far in grants and loans to local governments, businesses and nonprofits.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) has released a revised wastewater discharge permit for Martin Marietta Materials Inc.’s Vanceboro Quarry for public comment.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality's Division of Water Resources (DWR) reminds the public to avoid contact with discolored water that could indicate the presence of an algal bloom. 

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

The North Carolina Oil and Gas Commission will meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Raleigh.