Environmentally Speaking

North Carolina has the strongest and most environmentally protective general permits for swine operations. Read our letter to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Civil Rights to learn more here.

While the southeast is ramping up preparations for hurricane season, North Carolina is also preparing for another unlikely but potentially damaging event – a coronal mass ejection (CME).    An extreme CME is a large solar flare of energy that if directed at Earth, could have an impact on many of our daily activities. Potential effects include a powerful geomagnetic disturbance that could cause widespread power outages, loss of cellular networks and loss of satellite connections, among others. Just like with other natural events like hurricanes, it’s important to be prepared.  

Bruce Nicholson has a great story to share about the state Brownfields program he leads. The program has led to the successful cleanup and redevelopment of hundreds of sites and bolstered the economies in many North Carolina communities. Last week, Nicholson shared his program’s story with a group of engineers visiting from China. The engineers are employees of an energy company from Hangzhou who were visiting to learn more about the state’s Brownfields program.

Earlier this week Secretary Donald van der Vaart visited Winston-Salem to tour Industries for the Blind, a manufacturing company that employs people who are blind or visually impaired. Industries for the Blind recently partnered with DEQ’s Waste Reduction Partners, who studied the company’s environmental impact and provided them with cost-saving strategies and resources to help them become more energy efficient.