State environmental officials finalized last week a consent order for Duke Energy’s Riverbend facility in Gaston County. The consent order imposes additional monitoring of seeps to ensure protection of the environment. The order also includes fines for seeps that were supposed to be permitted back in 2010. The consent order is part of an overall strategy requiring full closure of the Riverbend facility by August 1, 2019, and in accordance with the state coal ash law The consent order was publicly noticed and the comment period was closed on Nov. 4, 2016.
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Governor Pat McCrory announced today that more than $945,000 in grants has been awarded for nine projects that will help North Carolina communities restore streams, reduce flooding and erosion, aid in stormwater management, provide recreational opportunities and benefit the state’s water resources. “Our natural habitat is what makes North Carolina a beautiful state to live in and to visit, “said Gov. McCrory. “These grants serve as investments into our state’s resources that will yield valuable returns for years to come.”
Continue ReadingState environmental officials visited Cumberland County this week to tour a temporary storm debris site that was opened to help local residents clean up after Hurricane Matthew. Under the direction of Governor Pat McCrory, the state environmental department has activated more than 60 temporary debris sites for use in eastern North Carolina to collect yard waste, land clearing or demolition debris from the storm.
Continue ReadingState environmental officials visited Harnett County this week to tour a temporary storm debris site that was opened to help local residents clean up after Hurricane Matthew. Under the direction of Governor Pat McCrory, the state environmental department has activated more than 60 temporary debris sites for use in eastern North Carolina to collect yard waste, land clearing or demolition debris from the storm.
Continue ReadingA conference room at the state’s environmental department turned into a classroom this week for a group of eighth graders from the Exploris charter school in Raleigh. The scope of their visit was to find out what the Department of Environmental Quality does to protect the state’s water resources.
Continue ReadingState environmental officials have issued a permit that is needed to safely close coal ash ponds in Rockingham county. The permit allows Duke Energy to safely remove water from its coal ash ponds at the Dan River Steam Station in Eden, a necessary step toward permanently closing the ponds.
Continue ReadingThe McCrory administration has awarded $201,032 in grants for projects aimed at reducing air pollution from mobile sources. Mobile sources are any type of vehicle that can pollute the air, including automobiles, trucks, buses, locomotives, motorcycles, off-road vehicles, construction equipment and lawnmowers. The grants can cover a range of projects, such as retrofitting school buses with controls to curb diesel emissions, repowering non-road equipment with cleaner-burning engines, and converting vehicles to run on alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas.
Continue ReadingThe McCrory administration issued the state’s largest-ever penalty for environmental damages in 2015 – fining Duke Energy $25.1 million for coal ash contamination – yet when it tried to enforce the fine it learned that policy decisions made by previous administrations made that impossible.
Continue ReadingRead the Roanoke-Chowan News Herald to learn about DEQ Secretary Donald van der Vaart’s recent visit to Nucor during Governor McCrory’s Manufacturing Week: http://www.roanoke-chowannewsherald.com/2016/10/20/deq-leader-tours-nucor/ Chief Deputy Secretary John Evans, second from left, and Secretary Donald van der Vaart, center, tour the facility with members of Nucor's team.
Continue ReadingThe state environmental department notified Duke Energy today that it must submit plans to address the environmental impact of flooding caused by Hurricane Matthew on the H.F. Lee Energy Complex.
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