DEQ proposes $13 million penalty on Chemours; draft consent order up for...
We don’t know what gifts Chemours is grateful for this Thanksgiving (a $275 million profit in the third quarter?) but a penalty imposed by state environmental regulators isn’t one of them. At 7:30 p.m....
View ArticleThis Week in Pollution: An historic penalty against Chemours, plus more...
It was a big week for PFAS, although considering how widespread and durable they are in the environment, every week is big for industries’ estimated 4,700 perfluorinated compounds. First, DEQ explained...
View ArticleWhile Tropical Storm Michael deluged NC, Resource Institute rained money into...
In October, while North Carolinians were battening down the hatches for the second major storm in a month, $31,000 flowed into the coffers of five lawmakers from a nonprofit organization keen on...
View ArticleAppellate court orders construction to halt along all 600 miles of Atlantic...
All construction has stopped along the 600-mile route of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, including in North Carolina, after a Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling last Friday. The basis for the court’s...
View ArticlePrivate firm to investigate Gov. Cooper’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline deal: “We...
A private firm formed by three former federal agents will investigate Gov. Roy Cooper’s controversial memorandum of understanding with Dominion Energy over the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. At a...
View ArticleJudge tosses punitive damages claims in hog nuisance case
The punitive damages phase of the most recent hog nuisance trial against Smithfield Foods had lasted just a half-day before the judge pulled the plug. Yesterday a jury found Smithfield had committed a...
View ArticleDuke Energy asks DEQ for six-month extension to close coal impoundments at...
Citing two hurricanes, new and unexpected state requirements, and the challenges of removing the remnants of an old cypress forest in the bottom of a coal ash basin, Duke Energy has asked state...
View ArticleCooper administration’s dump of 19,000 documents shows who knew what when...
Gov. Roy Cooper and Secretary of the Environment Michael Regan discussed a controversial agreement with Dominion Energy about the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, but in a review of the first 1,854 pages of a...
View ArticleNew Year’s resolution: Comment today on DEQ’s draft consent order for Chemours
The fine is historic — a $12 million penalty, plus $1 million in investigation costs — but no amount of money can repair the environmental damage — and possibly the harm to human health — inflicted by...
View ArticleIn Wilmington, a public hearing on coal ash and the Sutton plant drew just...
A public hearing about Duke Energy’s request to extend a deadline to close the coal ash impoundments at its Sutton plant lasted less than 15 minutes, and just four people attended. And now it’s...
View ArticleExtra pollution controls on Enviva wood pellet plant still don’t address...
The controversial Enviva wood pellet plant in Hamlet has received a key state permit that would allow it to pulverize more logs and ship the pellets overseas to be burned as fuel. As Policy Watch...
View ArticleMore than 1,200 new miles of NC rivers, streams proposed for impaired waters...
? The draft impaired waters list is open for public comment through tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 18. Comments can be emailed to TMDL303dComments@ncdenr.gov. North Carolina has more miles of impaired waters...
View ArticleEditorial: It’s past time for North Carolina lawmakers to embrace clean energy
An insightful new editorial from Capitol Broadcasting Corporation says North Carolina lawmakers should take heed of the growing demand for a state-mandated rebate program for solar power users. The...
View ArticleFederal judges puts the kibosh on seismic testing permits during government...
The Trump administration is prohibited from issuing permits for seismic testing in the ocean during the government shutdown, a federal court ruled Tuesday. Energy exploration companies conduct seismic...
View ArticleBREAKING: Chemours in the Netherlands exporting GenX waste to Fayetteville...
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. The EPA letter is posted at the end of the story and contains annotations by Policy Watch. A Chemours facility in...
View ArticleDEQ discovered GenX waste imports from Netherlands to Fayetteville, asked EPA...
This is a developing story based on breaking news this morning. It will be updated as more information becomes available. NC Department of Environmental Quality officials knew the Fayetteville Works...
View ArticleNo longer able to rely on the EPA, DEQ turns to NC Policy Collaboratory for...
With the EPA hamstrung by the government shutdown, the NC Department of Environmental Quality has asked the NC Policy Collaboratory to sample drinking water for 26 types of perfluorinated compounds....
View ArticleIn a non-denial denial, EPA says reports that it won’t regulate PFAS is...
The EPA could decide not to regulate two perfluorinated compounds known to harm human health — compounds that are widespread in the environment and in human blood. Politico reported Monday that the EPA...
View ArticleBREAKING: Malec Brothers withdraws air permit application to use methyl bromide
Malec Brothers has formally withdrawn its application for an air permit to emit methyl bromide in Columbus County, the NC Department of Environmental Quality announced Wednesday afternoon. The...
View ArticleThe week’s Top Stories on Policy Watch
1. In some North Carolina counties, traditional schools are being squeezed by charters There has been much written about the impact charter school growth has had on some of North Carolina’s larger,...
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