Press Releases

Governor Josh Stein and DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson visited Canton to share how recent funding of $3.5 million will ensure access to clean drinking water and make wastewater infrastructure more resilient.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s (NCDEQ) Division of Coastal Management (DCM), in partnership with the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust, will host a public event to mark the transfer of The Topsail Nature Preserve to state management.  A ribbon cutting ceremony and remarks by NCDEQ Secretary Reid Wilson, state, local officials and conservation partners will be part of a brief speaking program and self-guided tour of the site.

Project STEEL strengthens grid reliability, saves Eastern North Carolinians millions through strategic state and federal investment

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) will conduct a spring training workshop May 20-21 in Swansboro for local permit officers in the central and southern regions of its 20 coastal county service area.

Have questions about the upcoming Red Snapper season? The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries has answers in an FAQ list on its Red Snapper Season webpage.

The N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve will hold Spring local advisory committee meetings May 11-June 15 for the following reserve sites. All meetings are open to the public. 

Initiative Places Teachers Inside Energy Industries to Strengthen Workforce Connections for Students

With North Carolina’s heat season beginning May 1, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s State Resilience Office, in partnership with N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, the North Carolina State Climate Office and the National Weather Service will host a virtual Heat Season Kick-Off Meeting on May 11, 2026, from 1 to 3 p.m. The event is open to the public, but targeted to local government staff, particularly emergency managers, public health personnel, planners and administrators.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Division of Water Resources (DWR) is accepting public comment through Aug. 4 on the draft 2026 basin plan for Cape Fear River Basin, the most populous and largest river basin contained entirely within the state. 

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) Science Panel will meet May 27 at the Courtyard New Bern Riverfront in New Bern to continue discussion of the proposed report on hardened coastal structures. The in-person meeting begins at noon.

The N.C. Mining Commission will meet at 1 p.m. on May 12 in Raleigh for its regular quarterly meeting.

The recreational Red Snapper season will open for 62 days this summer for anglers willing to participate in a pilot project to test a data collection program that will use a mobile application to monitor the recreational Red Snapper season.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet May 13-14 at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, 100 Middle St., New Bern, N.C. 28560. The meeting is open to the public and will be livestreamed on YouTube. The meeting will begin at 1 p.m., Wednesday, May 13, and at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 14. The Commission will accept public comments beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday and at 9 a.m. Thursday.

The North Carolina Oil and Gas Commission will meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Raleigh.

There will not be a conflict between federal and state regulations when North Carolina’s recreational season for Black Sea Bass north of Cape Hatteras opens tomorrow (May 1).