A testy Senate passes controversial ratemaking bill that would favor Duke Energy
The name “Duke Energy” is so contentious that Sen. Dan Blue asked his fellow lawmakers to forget it. At least for the purposes of passing a bill that would be a ratemaking coup for the nation’s largest...
View ArticleThe week’s top stories on Policy Watch
Teachers and their supporters flood downtown Raleigh for second consecutive year Downtown Raleigh came alive Wednesday with thousands of North Carolina educators filling the streets to demand lawmakers...
View ArticleEnvironmental advocates push back against Duke Energy’s refusal to give in on...
Environmental advocates pushed back today against Duke Energy’s decision to appeal a ruling from the Department of Environmental Quality that it must excavate all of the coal ash from the utility’s...
View ArticleSampling shows PFAS, GenX in groundwater wells in New Hanover County;...
State environmental regulators are sampling groundwater from monitoring wells in northern New Hanover County after perfluorinated compounds, including GenX, were detected in six of 25 wells that supply...
View ArticleA conundrum: rehabbing homes that have been damaged by a hurricane — and...
While Congress debates whether the EPA should regulate perfluorinated compounds, including GenX, the cost of inaction is playing out in North Carolina in an overlooked, yet significant way: hurricane...
View ArticleCourt of Appeals approves plans for controversial asphalt plant near camp for...
In the fall of 2015, two land quality inspectors from the state Department of Environmental Quality drew the short straw. They had to visit the Glendale Springs quarry in rural Ashe County, an...
View ArticleDEQ finds 20 types of PFAS in compost headed for gardens, farms and playgrounds
Twenty types of perfluorinated compounds, commonly known as PFAS, were detected in compost produced at the McGill facility in Sampson County, but the sources of the contamination have not been...
View ArticleThe Farm Act, state budget are “erecting a fortress for the hog industry”
Disclosure: The NC Justice Center filed a brief in support of plaintiffs suing Smithfield/Murphy-Brown for nuisance. NC Policy Watch is a project of the Justice Center, but had no role in the decision...
View ArticleFish and Wildlife Service moves to protect two threatened NC species
WASHINGTON — Two North Carolina aquatic animal species should be protected under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined. The Carolina madtom, a small freshwater...
View ArticleAfter studying Sutton Lake, Duke University scientists say, “Impact of coal...
A Duke University study released today suggests there have been “multiple unmonitored coal ash spills” in Sutton Lake, even before Hurricane Florence struck the coast last year. Avner Vengosh,...
View ArticleFDA: GenX, 14 types of perfluorinated compounds found in produce grown within...
Leafy greens collected at local farmers markets near Fayetteville contained elevated levels of GenX and other perfluorinated compounds, according to a recent FDA study. The FDA shared the findings at...
View ArticleSettlement agreements require Enviva to install more stringent air pollution...
Enviva, the world’s largest manufacturer of wood pellet fuel, will install more stringent air pollution controls at two of its plants, as part of settlement agreements with the state and environmental...
View ArticleChatham County testing shows elevated levels of Chromium 6 in 100+ wells
More than half the drinking water wells tested in Chatham County contained levels of contaminants associated with coal ash that were above the state’s health advisory goal, according to researchers...
View ArticleDEQ denies water quality permit for MVP Southgate natural gas pipeline
The Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate project encountered another setback this week, when the NC Department of Environmental Quality rejected a key water quality permit, a federal requirement for the...
View ArticleThe week’s Top Stories on Policy Watch
1. PW exclusive: Moore County locates new elementary school near pollution, hazardous waste sites in Aberdeen Racial, economic composition of school raises environmental justice concerns On the edge...
View ArticleKids’ brains can be damaged when schools are near factories, major pollution...
A study of Florida public schools, found that children who are exposed to air pollution are more likely to score lower on tests and to be suspended from school. In addition, a school’s overall...
View ArticleHouse Finance green-lights Duke Energy ratemaking bill; would allow utility...
A controversial bill that would allow Duke Energy to increase its annual profits through alternative methods of ratemaking cleared another hurdle today, despite opponents’ objections. The House Finance...
View ArticleAfter coastal towns complain about Resource Institute, lawmakers could...
[Update: On Tuesday afternoon the Senate passed this bill, the bulk of which deals with veterans’ memorial funds, but includes language to revoke funding for the Resource Institute beach projects. The...
View ArticlePork fattens the environmental budget while necessities get chopped
The NC Department of Environmental Quality can’t always get what it wants. It can’t even get what it needs. DEQ had requested 37 new positions in the state environmental budget to address the crisis of...
View ArticleFeds want to know health effects of coatings used in Atlantic Coast Pipeline
Federal regulators have asked the owners of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline to provide toxicological information about chemicals used to coat the inside of pipes, according to a letter dated July 3. Under...
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