Virtual public hearing tonight on Enviva wood pellet plant, major source of...
An Enviva wood pellet plant would emit more than 380,000 tons of greenhouse gases per year under the terms of proposed changes to its air permit, the subject of a public hearing tonight. The plant...
View ArticleBiden allocates $1B to prepare for hurricane, wildfire season
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is doubling the amount of federal funding to help states prepare for natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires, he announced Monday. His administration is...
View ArticleUh-oh, nearly two-thirds of N.C. is abnormally dry or in a drought
Nearly half of North Carolina is experiencing a moderate drought and another 31% of the state is abnormally dry, according to the most recent NC Drought Monitor. Over the past week moderate drought...
View ArticleHeading for a national park? The ‘biggest season in the history of the Park...
Leaders of a U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday extolled national parks for providing a respite during the COVID-19 pandemic, but cautioned that enthusiasm for outdoors recreation will create its own...
View ArticleStudy: Socially vulnerable areas more likely to have natural gas...
Four academic researchers, including Ryan Emanuel and Louie Rivers III of NC State University, have found that of the 2,261 U.S. counties traversed by natural gas pipelines, counties with more...
View ArticleHouse Bill 500 would fund levees, buyouts in some flood-prone areas of NC
Main Street in Seven Springs, a tiny town in Wayne County, sits squarely within harm’s way. Sandwiched between a bluff and the Neuse River, the entire town lies within the highest-risk flood zones,...
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Who derailed Dionne Delli-Gatti’s confirmation as DEQ Secretary? No one wants...
Dionne Delli-Gatti waited outside the gallery entrance of the Senate Chamber Thursday afternoon to learn whether she would still have a job by the end of the day. She carried a keychain that her...
View ArticleNational parks struggling with maintenance would get a boost under Biden...
Blue Ridge Parkway would get big cash infusion Basic needs at the largest U.S. national parks top the Biden administration’s first proposed lists of projects to receive funding through public lands...
View ArticleBiden’s public lands pick wins backing by environmental advocates ahead of...
Environmental groups are lining up behind President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management prior to her Tuesday confirmation hearing. More than 100 organizations wrote to Senate...
View ArticleGov. Cooper issues Executive Order requiring North Carolina to ramp up wind...
Offshore wind power will become a more integral part of the state’s clean energy plan, according to Executive Order 218, issued by Gov. Roy Cooper today. North Carolina will “strive” to develop 2.8...
View ArticleFrustrated local leaders urge Congress to move faster on regulating PFAS
WASHINGTON—Local officials and community leaders on Wednesday pushed Congress to designate toxic chemicals that are contaminating drinking water as hazardous materials, which would trigger federal...
View ArticleNorth Carolina has a newly designated endangered species, which is nothing to...
Carolina madtoms are armed with stinging spines on their fins that can stun their attackers, but these small catfish are helpless against their main predator: urbanization. Because of human...
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After passing the House, bill regulating PFAS in firefighting foam lingers in...
Rep. Pricey Harrison, a Guilford County Democrat, has co-sponsored several bills that would regulate toxic PFAS in North Carolina. (Photo: NCGA) Lawmakers dedicated to eradicating “forever chemicals”...
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Federal judge halts Biden pause on new oil and gas leases across the U.S.
Photo: Daily Montanan A federal judge in Louisiana has ordered the Biden administration to restart regular sales of oil and gas leases, forcing the administration to prematurely abandon a central piece...
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Endangered species to get a reprieve under Biden administration plans
Rusty patched bumble bee – Image: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service WASHINGTON — The lesser prairie-chicken, a rare dancing grouse once abundant on the Great Plains, could benefit again soon from the...
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State Senate budget would fund new DEQ section to address PFAS in drinking water
The state Department of Environmental Quality would receive more than $974,000 to establish a new emerging compounds section, according to the State Senate budget published today. The money would pay...
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Section weakening whistleblower protections struck from Farm Act
Rep. Nasif Majeed, a Democrat from Mecklenburg County (Photo: NCGA) The House Agriculture Committee voted to remove a controversial section of the Farm Act involving whistleblower complaints today, but...
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Gov. Cooper nominates former DEQ lobbyist Elizabeth Biser to lead agency
Elizabeth Biser Elizabeth Biser, who previously served as the director of Legislative and Government Affairs for the NC Department of Environmental Quality, is the governor’s new nominee to lead the...
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Biden to announce expanded federal wildfire efforts in meeting with Western...
A Colorado home burns from open gas lines after a wildfire in October 2020. (Thomas Cooper/Special to Colorado Newsline) President Joe Biden will announce measures to expand the federal government’s...
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Former DEQ Secretary Donald van der Vaart’s new job: Chief Administrative Law...
Donald van der Vaart (File photo: NCDEQ) State Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby has appointed Donald van der Vaart as the new Chief Administrative Law Judge and director of the Office of...
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