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35K gallons of cattle waste spills in Lincoln County, near creek that is already impaired
At least 35,000 gallons of untreated animal waste was released from the Gar-Mac Dairy farm in Lincoln County, sending contamination into an unnamed tributary that flows to Indian Creek and the South Fork of the Catawba River, according to the NC Department of Environmental Quality. The discharge occurred on June 6 and 7 because of […]
Code Red: Today’s air is unhealthy — if you enjoy breathing
High pollution levels from wildfires in Quebec have prompted a Code Red air quality alert today, meaning that the air is unhealthy for everyone. The NC Department of Environmental Quality issued the alert based on levels of very fine particulate matter, known as PM 2.5. PM 2.5 – which is smaller than the width of […]
Environmental Justice in Robeson County
The following is a series that NC Newsline is publishing about environmental justice issues and cumulative pollution impacts in Robeson County. Funding for this project comes from Kozik Environmental Justice Reporting Grants funded by the National Press Foundation and the National Press Club Journalism Institute. Environmental groups file civil rights complaint against DEQ over […]
In Robeson County, asthma rates are twice the state average — worsened by air pollution
This story is part of a series that NC Newsline is publishing about environmental justice issues and cumulative pollution impacts in Robeson County. Funding for this project comes from Kozik Environmental Justice Reporting Grants funded by the National Press Foundation and the National Press Club Journalism Institute. The Campbell Soup company and the Silgan container […]
In a bout between economic development and environmental justice, the latter rarely wins
This story is the latest in a series of reports that NC Newsline is publishing about environmental justice issues and cumulative pollution impacts in Robeson County. Funding for this project comes from Kozik Environmental Justice Reporting Grants funded by the National Press Foundation and the National Press Club Journalism Institute. In 2013, after local residents […]
Coping with a “disaster diaspora” in Robeson County
This story is the latest in a series of reports that NC Newsline is publishing about environmental justice issues and cumulative pollution impacts in Robeson County. Funding for this project comes from Kozik Environmental Justice Reporting Grants funded by the National Press Foundation and the National Press Club Journalism Institute. On Nevada Street, less than […]
Behind the scenes of an energy bill, propane and natural gas interests run a full-court press
Text messages and emails obtained by NC Newsline show the extent of involvement by the gas and propane industries in advocating for House Bill 130, which would prohibit local governments from restricting those fuels in commercial and residential buildings. The bill was heard today in the Senate Agriculture, Energy and Environment committee, but only for […]
James Lyons, Durham’s solid waste director, fired after NC Newsline investigation
James Lyons, who started as Durham’s solid waste director just three weeks ago, has been fired, effectively immediately, after an NC Newsline investigation into his work history. In an email sent at 6:56 p.m. Tuesday, City Manager Wanda Page announced Lyons’s termination. As NC Newsline reported earlier Tuesday, the City paid a national search firm […]
Durham probing work history of new solid waste director James Lyons, who once ran for mayor
This is a developing story. It was updated at 2:55 pm with the cost of the national search. At 6:56 p.m. on Tuesday, the City of Durham announced it had fired James Lyons. Read the story here. A former Durham mayoral candidate recently hired as the city’s director of solid waste has inconsistencies in his […]
Newsline special report: A community inundated with industrial waste
[Editor’s note: This story on water pollution is among several that NC Newsline is publishing about environmental justice issues and cumulative pollution impacts in Robeson County. Read previous stories in the series about biogas projects near Maxton and a proposed private military training site a few miles from Rowland. Look for more stories about air […]
Judge tosses historic fine against Bottomley Properties because wrong DEQ employee signed the paperwork
A judge tossed a $263,000 civil penalty assessed to Bottomley Properties for procedural reasons, finding that the Department of Environmental Quality employee who signed the paperwork was not authorized to do so. Administrative Law Judge John Evans, himself a former DEQ chief deputy secretary in the McCrory administration, issued his decision earlier this month. In […]
In the hot seat: Development, climate leads to increased risk of wildfires near NC cities and suburbs
More than 2.1 million homes in North Carolina lie within the “wildland urban interface” — populated areas on the fringe of forests, scrub and other vegetation — and are at a greater risk of wildfires because of development patterns and climate change, according to a new national report by Climate Central, a science-based nonprofit organization. […]