Press Releases

State recreational water quality officials today lifted a water quality swimming alert at aa oceanside site in Brunswick County

State recreational water quality officials today are alerting the public that initial testing at an oceanside site in Brunswick County showed levels of bacteria exceeding the state’s and Environmental Protection Agency’s recreational water quality swimming standards.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is seeking input from the public on a draft spending plan for $7.7 million in federal fisheries disaster aid for Hurricane Florence.

The N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve will reopen the Rachel Carson, Masonboro Island, and Bird Island Reserves to visitors on May 9, 2020 as North Carolina enters Phase 1 of the state’s plan of slowly easing certain COVID-19 restrictions.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet by webinar starting at 9 a.m. May 14

Fifteen lucky fishermen won $100 each in a recent N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Multi-Species Tagging Program yearly drawing.

DEQ has successfully increased equity, transparency and environmental protection in the permitting of swine operations under the 2018 Title VI settlement agreement with citizen groups, which expired on May 3, 2020.  Title VI is a federal civil rights law that requires agency recipients of federal funds to act in a nondiscriminatory manner.  DEQ has produced a report (available online) which details DEQ’s significant progress on community engagement and transparency and the fulfillment of the terms of the agreement.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet by webinar starting at 9 a.m. May 14.

Today, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) joined the North Carolina Attorney General and 16 states in filing suit opposing the EPA’s final rule defining “Waters of the United States”.  The rule is set to take effect on June 22, 2020.

The Division of Air Quality (DAQ) is extending the comment period on the draft permits for the two proposed Carolina Sunrock LLC facilities until June 15, 2020 at 5 p.m. and may extend further at the appropriate time.