Perdue Farms allegedly retaliated against Robeson County chicken farmer for...
For 25 years, Rudy Howell of Robeson County made a living by raising chicks as a contract grower for Perdue Farms, one of the nation’s largest poultry producers. He had previously won “Top Producer of...
View ArticleApplication withdrawn for giant poultry farm in Chatham County
A USDA loan application for a proposed chicken farm near Goldston in Chatham County has been withdrawn, raising questions of whether the enormous operation will be built. Policy Watch learned of the...
View ArticleGov. Cooper nominates Dionne Delli-Gatti, another EDF alum, to lead...
This is a developing story. Dionne Delli-Gatti, who previously worked as for the Environmental Defense Fund, is Gov. Roy Cooper’s pick to head the NC Department of Environmental Quality, his office...
View ArticleU.S. Senate confirms Tom Vilsack for a second stint as Agriculture secretary
WASHINGTON—The Senate on Tuesday in a 92-7 vote confirmed former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack to run the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a second time. Vilsack, 70, also headed the $151 billion agency...
View ArticleBiden nominee for Sec. of Interior faces GOP critics at her confirmation hearing
WASHINGTON — Rep. Deb Haaland confronted expected tough questioning from Republican senators on Tuesday at her confirmation hearing to become the first Native American secretary of the Department of...
View ArticleAfter receiving 350 public comments, DEQ “withdraws” from proposed Special...
The NC Department of Environmental Quality is returning the Alcoa’s application for a Special Order by Consent and the proposal as drafted “will not be moving forward,” the agency announced today. As...
View ArticleDEQ: Colonial Pipeline report “lacks critical information,” state cites...
This story has been corrected to remove this sentence: “Because of fire suppressants used during the initial spill emergency, it is likely that the groundwater contains toxic perfluorinated compounds,...
View ArticleU.S. House Agriculture panel to key in on climate change and farming
Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore testifies on rise in extreme weather events WASHINGTON — Democrats are eyeing proposals that would support programs for U.S. farmers—who have suffered...
View ArticleNew research shows switch to electric trucks and buses could save 57,000 lives
As the global momentum for public policies founded in science continues to build (see this morning’s “Monday numbers” story about the hope and promise in the growth of wind power), here’s another...
View ArticleBiden reinstates bird protections gutted under Trump
The Interior Department on Monday revoked a Trump administration policy that would have undercut a century-old law protecting migratory birds. The move strengthens federal regulators’ authority to...
View ArticleConfirmation vote for for first Native American Interior secretary on tap...
The Senate is expected to vote within days on the confirmation of U.S. Rep. Debra A. Haaland to lead the Interior Department, despite procedural barriers Republicans from Montana and Wyoming announced...
View ArticleOutgoing DEQ Secretary Michael Regan is now the new EPA administrator
The U.S. Senate confirmed Michael Regan as the new EPA administrator Wednesday evening by a vote of 66-34. Regan, the outgoing Secretary of the Environment in North Carolina, is the first Black man to...
View ArticleActive Energy sued in federal court — again
The Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of Winyah Rivers Alliance, is suing Active Energy Renewable Power over alleged violations of the Clean Water Act at its facility in Lumberton. Active...
View ArticleFederal court rules that DEQ acted legally in denying MVP Southgate permit,...
State environmental officials acted within their legal authority when denying a water quality permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate project, but part of their justification was...
View ArticleU.S. Senate confirms Haaland as first-ever Native American to serve in the...
WASHINGTON—U.S. Rep. Debra Haaland made history on Monday when she became the first Native American to ever be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to hold a position in a president’s Cabinet. In a narrow...
View ArticleFossil fuel development on public lands: What will the Biden administration do?
In his first week in office, President Joe Biden paused new oil and gas leasing on federal lands as his administration reviewed fossil fuel development policy. Now that Interior Secretary Deb Haaland...
View ArticleWith only a quarter of state’s landslide areas mapped, DEQ asks lawmakers to...
At this very moment, there are nine active landslides in the mountains of western North Carolina. These are not rivers of mud surging down steep slopes, but a slow-motion disaster as the dirt loses its...
View ArticleClimate crisis is front and center as U.S. House panel debates how to better...
In a preview of the arguments likely to be repeated as the Biden administration and Congress work toward conservation goals, Democrats on a U.S. House panel Tuesday outlined what they say is a need for...
View ArticleGov. Cooper proposes $145 million budget for DEQ, would include money to...
The NC Department of Environmental Quality would receive $145 million in appropriations in 2021-22 under Gov. Roy Cooper’s new budget proposal, a 52% increase from his 2019 recommendations. Under the...
View ArticleAfter Huntersville gasoline spill investigation, feds say Colonial Pipeline’s...
Federal investigators have warned Colonial Pipeline that because of poor operational procedures, the company’s entire 5,500-mile pipeline could jeopardize public safety, property or the environment. A...
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