Two breaches in Sutton coal ash landfill, plus flooding at three inactive ash...
Rising rivers and historic flooding are hampering the state and Duke Energy from fully assessing the extent of the damage to coal ash landfills and basins in eastern North Carolina, but there are...
View ArticleDozens of rivers forecast to crest at record levels tonight through end of week
Two days after the worst of Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina, and many rivers are cresting at record levels throughout eastern and southeastern parts of the state. This has prompted evacuations of...
View ArticleReport: With North Carolina reeling from Hurricane Florence, Trump to visit...
President Donald Trump will visit North Carolina Wednesday in the wake of Hurricane Florence’s devastating impact last week, multiple media outlets are reporting. It wasn’t clear what areas Trump will...
View ArticleAt least 1.4 million people in North Carolina experiencing drinking water...
Low water pressure, no water, potentially contaminated water: More than 1.4 million people in North Carolina don’t have a reliable source of water from their public systems, according to the NC...
View ArticleAfter Florence, the “unequal distribution of catastrophe” in North Carolina
Since Hurricane Florence dropped more than 30 inches of rain on parts of North Carolina, Policy Watch’s Lisa Sorg has been dutifully tracking the environmental catastrophes — many of them, quite...
View ArticleFrom the air, a view of hog farms improperly spraying waste on soaked fields;...
The number of hog lagoons at risk was updated from 80 to 110 at 4:16 p.m. Flood damage from Hurricane Florence is jeopardizing roughly 110 of the state’s 3,300 hog lagoons, but there is another route...
View ArticleNear the Dan River and Belews Lake, the 311 Motor Speedway is in Duke...
On Saturday night, souped-up muscle cars — 602 Mods, Ucars and crates — were supposed to race 20 laps on the half-mile dirt track the 311 Motor Speedway in Stokes County. Last Tuesday, the track was...
View ArticleDuke Energy reporting another coal ash breach at Sutton; shuts down nat gas...
The Cape Fear River has overtopped a dam at Sutton Lake in Wilmington, sending coal ash into the water body from the 1971 ash basin. The lake provides cooling water for Duke Energy’s Sutton plant....
View ArticleDead hogs being fished from swamps, workers rescued by kayak: We knew how...
Days after Hurricane Florence devastated eastern North Carolina, fourth-generation hog farmer Brandon Howard had to figure out how to remove “large numbers” of dead pigs from a nearby swamp. Two of...
View ArticleForests help control floods, reduce effects of climate change — unless...
Forest protection advocates joined Democrats State Sen. Erica Smith and Rep. Cynthia Ball today in calling for stronger controls on the wood pellet industry in order to preserve the state’s timber...
View ArticleThe week’s top stories on Policy Watch
1. Coal ash flowing like pudding in Neuse River near Duke’s Goldsboro power plant Matthew Starr had paddled only a half mile of a stretch of Neuse River near Duke Energy’s HF Lee plant in Goldsboro...
View ArticleRiverkeepers find high levels of arsenic in Neuse; Duke Energy says groups is...
The Waterkeeper Alliance today announced results of four samples from the Neuse River showing high levels of arsenic in surface water near Duke Energy’s HF Lee plant. The samples were collected on...
View ArticleAfter Hurricane Florence, state to restart its buyout program for hog farms...
Note: This is the first in a series of posts this week about the swine farm buyout program, which will culminate in a larger story Thursday morning. The coverage will include maps of more than a dozen...
View ArticleDEQ: Initial test results show arsenic below drinking water standards in...
The Department of Environmental Quality says its first round of sampling showed arsenic concentrations in the Neuse River were below drinking water standards. The agency released the initial test...
View ArticleIn Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus and Craven counties, scores of swine farms lie...
Note: This is the second in a series of posts this week about the state’s swine farm buyout program, which is being revived after an 11-year hiatus. The coverage will include maps of more than a dozen...
View ArticleThis Week in Pollution: coal ash, hog lagoons and a wayward EPA
Good morning, before I delve into the weekly recap of Contamination’s Greatest Hits, I want to tell you what I just heard at the NC Chamber of Commerce’s Agri-Business conference this morning. Ray...
View ArticleThe week’s top stories on Policy Watch
1. Superintendent Mark Johnson’s new website may have broken North Carolina law A controversial website touting Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson may have broken North Carolina law, a...
View ArticleFederal government seeking public comment on listing two bird and one mussel...
When the Black-Capped Petrel flies over the sea at night, the wind passes over its wings, creating a sound that those fortunate enough to hear it describe as “flute-like.” Its nighttime calls have been...
View ArticleThis Week in Pollution: Have you read ‘The Road’? 20-year climate change...
“Perhaps in the world’s destruction it would be possible at last to see how it was made.” — The Road, by Cormac McCarthy Because holidays are supposed to be a joyous time spent with friends and...
View ArticleLawmakers expected to approve nearly $800 million in hurricane relief
North Carolina state lawmakers are expected to speedily approve almost $800 million in hurricane relief this week, legislators announced over the weekend. The news follows Gov. Roy Cooper’s call last...
View Article