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Cooper creates state Climate Action Corps volunteer group
Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper announced on Wednesday the formation of the North Carolina Climate Action Corps, which will focus on climate issues across the state.
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State Supreme Court wrestles with lawyers’ fees in Harkers Island Bridge dispute
As the state Department of Transportation pushes ahead with its $68 million Harkers Island Bridge replacement project, the state Supreme Court focused Wednesday on a battle over roughly $90,000. That’s the amount of lawyers’ fees a Superior Court awarded plaintiffs in 2020 during their bid to block the bridge project from moving forward.
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Appeals Court takes on dispute over DEQ animal waste rules
A three-judge state Appeals Court panel will decide in the months ahead whether environmental regulators failed to follow the proper process when adding new conditions to state animal waste permits. The results of the judg
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Morgan upholds death penalty, dissents in castle doctrine case, in final Supreme Court rulings
Outgoing state Supreme Court Justice Michael Morgan delivered a 183-page ruling upholding a death penalty verdict, dissented in a case involving the castle doctrine, and joined Republican colleagues to uphold a mining quarry’s challenged environmental permit during his last day on the bench.
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Federal Appeals Court upholds ruling for shrimp trawlers in Clean Water Act dispute
The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a lower court decision favoring shrimp trawlers in a dispute tied to the Clean Water Act. A three-judge appellate panel agreed unanimously with the dismissal of legal complaints against the trawler
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VinFast accused of polluting waterways near Chatham County EV plant
VinFast, the Vietnamese electric vehicle maker Democrat North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper credited for leading an army of clean-energy companies coming to the state, is being criticized for polluting waterways near its $4 billion EV manufacturing plant in Chatham County.
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Advisory: Contaminated fish in Cape Fear River
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has released new guidance about consuming certain types of fish from parts of the lower Cape Fear River. The new recommendations are the latest in the fallout from the discovery of contaminants known as PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in the Cape Fear River. PFAS also known as...
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PFAS barrier wall now operational
After months of delays, a barrier wall at the Chemours Fayetteville Works Site in Bladen County is complete, according to The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ). In a statement, the agency said, “As of June 11, DEQ has been notified that the barrier wall is complete. The extraction wells and treatment system are...
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Fed to grant emergency exception for Wrightsville Beach renourishment
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recently announced it will enact an emergency exception to the Coastal Barriers Resource Act The exception will allow USACE to use the Masonboro Inlet location for renourishing Wrightsville beach, work that is scheduled to begin in November. With hurricane season officially started June 1 and running through November...
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Farm Bureau details ‘sue-and-settle’ complaints about NC animal waste rules
The N.C. Farm Bureau Federation detailed concerns in a court filing Monday about a “sue-and-settle” scheme that could have influenced new state animal waste regulations. The N.C. Court of Appeals is scheduled to address the Farm Bureau’s complaint in the coming months.
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Nuclear would be labeled ‘clean energy’ under new legislation
The bill would relabel “renewable energy resources” to “clean energy resources” in the State’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (REPS) and add nuclear fission and fusion into the definition of clean energy.
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Rouzer touts importance of modernizing federal Clean Water Act
Now more than 50 years old, the federal Clean Water Act deserves a fresh look. That was the message U.S. Rep. David Rouzer delivered as he chaired a congressional hearing on the topic Tuesday.
