Press Releases

The state environmental department was notified late Friday of the possible release of coal ash from an inactive pond at the H.F. Lee facility in Wayne County. Duke Energy reported that erosion caused by flooding from Hurricane Matthew may have led to the discharge of an unknown amount of coal ash. There is no indication of structural failure at this time.

RALEIGH – State environmental officials are providing North Carolinians with guidance on the best methods for disposing of storm debris in the wake of Hurricane Matthew.

Top state environmental officials visited the Woodlake dam in Moore County on Wednesday to evaluate safety conditions there. The dam was threatening to breach after two major storms over a 10-day period. At the direction of Governor Pat McCrory, Secretary Donald R. van der Vaart of the state environmental department joined a dam safety team that has been onsite since Hurricane Matthew hit over the weekend.

RALEIGH – Coastal property owners who need to replace docks, piers, bulkheads or similar structures damaged by Hurricane Matthew along sounds, rivers and creeks may be able to do so quickly by using an emergency general permit offered by the state’s coastal management agency.

State environmental officials have reopened two regional offices and kept a third regional office closed due to impacts from Hurricane Matthew. The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s offices in Washington and Raleigh were reopened to the public Tuesday. Both had been closed Monday due to flooding issues or power outages. Those issues were addressed sufficiently enough to reopen the offices, officials with the agency said.

RALEIGH – The state environmental department is onsite at two Duke Energy coal ash facilities to assess the impact of flooding from Hurricane Matthew. A creek near the Weatherspoon plant in Robeson County overflowed into a cooling pond Sunday. The cooling pond does not contain coal ash and no coal ash ponds are threatened by the flooding.

The state marine fisheries agency is asking fishermen to keep a close eye on the progress of Hurricane Matthew as it heads up the Atlantic and begin preparing accordingly. Governor Pat McCrory has declared a State of Emergency for 66 counties including the coast and is urging North Carolinians to make preparations for the storm. Fishermen should remove fishing gear from the water well before the storm’s arrival.

The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission Nominating Committee will meet at 2 p.m. on Oct. 13 at the Division of Marine Fisheries Headquarters, 3441 Arendell St., Morehead City. The committee is meeting to consider candidates for an obligatory seat for the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. A full agenda is available here.

WHAT: Public hearing on permits for the Mayo Steam Electric Generating Plant and Roxboro Steam Electric Generating Station WHEN: 6 p.m. Oct. 4 (speaker registration starts at 5 p.m.) WHERE: Person County Government Building, 304 S. Morgan St., Roxboro, N.C.

Eighteen public colleges and universities in North Carolina are being recognized for their leadership in reducing the amount of energy they use. Staff in the state environmental agency recently awarded nine community colleges and nine universities or affiliates in North Carolina with Utility Savings Initiative Achievement Awards.