Press Releases

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has announced new lead service line replacement funding, made available through the federal Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Applications for the funding will be available in February during the Division of Water Infrastructure’s spring 2023 funding round. The deadline for submitting applications is May 1, 2023.

The N.C. Division of Coastal Management (DCM) is the first division to implement a new online permitting system as part of the Permitting Transformation Program at the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Applications for the Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) major permits are now available in the new online system.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries recently certified a new state record White Grunt (Haemulon plumierii).

The Secretary’s Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board will hold its quarterly business meeting in-person on February 9 at 3 p.m. Members of the public are invited to attend in-person or online.             Who: Secretary’s Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board             What: Hybrid quarterly meeting

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will hold a series of information and listening sessions with stakeholders in the coming weeks before proposing new rules for an Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) program in North Carolina.

The Division of Coastal Management (DCM) is reminding communities and service providers to apply for participation in Phases 1 and 2 of the N.C. Resilient Coastal Communities Program (RCCP) grant cycle. DCM first announced grant availability December 2022. An informational webinar on the Phase 1 and 2 application process will be held on Jan. 12, 2023, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

On December 22, 2022, National Marine Fisheries Service published in the Federal Register (87 FR 78659) the Notice of Receipt and request for public comments for North Carolina’s Incidental Take Permit application and conservation plan to address sturgeon and sea turtle interactions in the state’s estuarine anchored gill net fishery.

The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission (EMC) will meet Wednesday and Thursday, January 11 and 12, 2023 in the Ground Floor Hearing Room of the Archdale Building at 512 N. Salisbury St, Raleigh. Face coverings are optional for staff and attendees. There will be limited seating, and the public may also attend via remote access.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) achieved milestone accomplishments in 2022 in its mission to provide science-based environmental stewardship for the health and prosperity of all North Carolinians.

As the holiday season winds down, the N.C. Division of Coastal Management is providing guidance to property owners, organizations and towns that plan to accept natural Christmas trees for use in dune restoration and/or beach sand fencing. Natural Christmas trees may be used for sand fencing but must be free of decorations and should be placed in a manner that meets the State’s rules for sand fencing.