Press Releases

Below-average rainfall, coupled with unseasonably warm temperatures, worsened North Carolina’s year-long drought in some parts of the state, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday.

A statewide program that has certified more than 1,600 environmental educators is finding a new home at Catawba College. The North Carolina Environmental Education Certification Program will move from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to Catawba’s Center for the Environment on October 1. The transition will preserve the certification program, its staff, and all the programs and resources that connect educators across the state, including its listserv and calendar.

NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Secretary Reid Wilson traveled to Turner Shoals Dam in Polk County today to announce the Department’s second round of Dam Safety grants totaling more than $3.4 million to address at-risk dams that were damaged by Hurricane Helene. DEQ’s Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources (DEMLR) awarded $6.6 million earlier this year to address six high-hazard dams that were also damaged during Hurricane Helene.

NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Secretary Reid Wilson joined partnership agencies today at the Town of Hot Springs Helene Recovery Celebration, featuring a ribbon cutting for the Town's wastewater treatment plant. The event celebrated the new, functioning plant funded with $4 million through the NC Collaboratory.  

The NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) is accepting public review and comment on a request for review of a federal consistency submission for a proposed update to training activities and operations within the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point Range Complex.

The NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) has launched a new webpage for The Topsail Nature Preserve, providing residents and visitors with a central online resource for information about the Preserve, public access, responsible recreation and DCM’s management and stewardship efforts.

The Division of Air Quality will hold a public hearing on Oct. 13 to receive public comments on a draft air quality permit for Carolina Lithium in Gaston County.

Attorney General Jeff Jackson and North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson today announced a $590 million deal between the state of North Carolina, 11 local governments, and DuPont and Chemours over PFAS contamination in North Carolina, the largest total environmental damages recov

Red Drum is North Carolina’s official state saltwater fish, and a popular one at that. Those who fish for Red Drum, also known as puppy drum, redfish, bull drum and channel bass, should save the dates for an upcoming scoping period, which includes four public meetings.

The State Water Infrastructure Authority will meet 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 16, 2026, in-person in Raleigh and virtually, via WebEx.Meeting Agenda The meeting will be in-person at the following location:217 West Jones Street, Raleigh 27603(Green Square Training Room, Room 1210)