Press Releases

  The N.C. Climate Education Network (NCCEN) has selected three winners in a statewide art contest focusing on climate change. More than 60 K-12 students participated creating visual art using 30-year climate graphs and data. The winners are: Elementary:      Hansithi Teluguntla, Fuller Elementary

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality seeks public comment on a draft permit modification for the Domtar Paper Company facility in Plymouth. Public comment will be accepted until February 19, 2022.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) has issued a first-time Title V permit for Enviva Pellets Sampson, LLC.  The facility was required to obtain a Title V permit under the terms of its current operating permit. The Title V permit does not include any significant operational changes at the wood pellet facility.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) will host a remote public hearing on a draft permit for the North Carolina Renewable Power facility in Lumberton on February 21, 2022.  The hearing was previously scheduled for January 25. The comment period will be extended to February 24.  The public is invited to participate in the hearing online or by phone.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries wants to remind the public to report any cold stunned spotted seatrout they may see in North Carolina coastal waters. No cold stun events have been reported yet this winter, but conditions during or following the imminent winter storm may cause one or more to occur in coastal creeks and bays.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Standard Commercial Fishing License Eligibility Board will meet by teleconference at 10:30 a.m. April 7. The board will consider license applications that are deemed complete and submitted by February 21. The public may listen to the meeting through a conference call line by dialing 919-212-5733. To avoid disrupting the meeting, members of the public are asked to mute themselves and not announce their names when they call.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality seeks public comment on a draft permit for Roseburg Forest Products to construct and operate a new lumber sawmill in Halifax County. Public comment will be accepted until February 17, 2022.

Anglers who want to commemorate that big saltwater fishing catch in 2021 have a couple of extra weeks this year to apply for a citation from the N.C. Saltwater Fishing Tournament.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries has modified aquaculture permit conditions to facilitate the cultivation of more finfish species in upland facilities by exempting these operations from size and possession limits.

REMINDER: State Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Plan to Administer American Rescue Plan Act’s State Fiscal Recovery Funding (deadline: Jan. 12, 2022)