Press Releases

MOREHEAD CITY – State recreational water quality officials are advising the public to avoid swimming in North Carolina coastal waters from Wright Memorial Bridge in Kitty Hawk south to the South Carolina State line affected by Tropical Storm Debby.

The North Carolina Mining Commission will meet at 1 p.m. on August 13, 2024, in Raleigh. The public is invited to attend in person or online.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Standard Commercial Fishing License Eligibility Board will meet by teleconference at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 22. The board will consider license applications that are deemed complete and submitted by Oct. 1.

Today, Governor Roy Cooper joined United States Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to announce new funding through the Department of Energy to enhance North Carolina’s electrical grid and increase capacity for renewable energy storage. They were joined by N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Elizabeth Biser and other officials as they announced the second round of funding through the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program at the Duke Energy facility in Garner.

On Monday, August 5, a days-old wild horse, and resident of the Rachel Carson Reserve, was seen exhibiting signs of extreme distress. Paula Gillikin, NCDEQ Division of Coastal Management’s Coastal Reserve site manager for the Rachel Carson Reserve, observed and examined the female foal at the Reserve. After consulting with the Reserve’s local equine veterinarian, the Division subsequently moved the horse from the Reserve for further examination and treatment.

The N.C. DEQ Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program sank a tugboat, Thomas Dann, on Aug 1 at AR-305, off Cape Lookout.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) is accepting public comments on draft revisions to the Inspection & Maintenance State Implementation Plan.The revisions, if approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, would remove the requirement for vehicle emissions inspections in 18 North Carolina counties and limit the vehicles subject to inspections in Mecklenburg County, the only county that would remain in the program.

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) will hold a special meeting August 6 by web conference to review fiscal analyses associated with permanent rulemaking. Members of the public may join by computer or phone.

MOREHEAD CITY – Advisories against swimming were posted today at two sound-side sites in Beaufort County where state officials found bacteria levels in the water that exceed the state’s and Environmental Protection Agency’s recreational water quality standards.

NOTE: Please note the meeting location has been changed to the 5th Floor Conference Room in the Archdale Building.