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NC fire departments stuck with 120,000 gallons of toxic foam; legislation has funds to buy it back
Fire departments across North Carolina have on hand more than 120,000 gallons of firefighting foam that contains toxic PFAS, according to state data, and have used it 51 times to extinguish blazes in eight months. For decades, PFAS-containing foam, known as AFFF, has been used to suppress fires involving petroleum products or other flammable liquids. […]
House Bill 689 would establish state policy on environmental justice
In just one census block group in south Winston-Salem, there are four hazardous waste sites, three landfills, two contaminated dry cleaners, three tracts that are legally allowed to spread soil contaminated with gasoline or oil, 36 spills from underground petroleum storage tanks and another 18 from those above ground. Six lots have land use restrictions […]
Wall Recycling in Raleigh fined $64,000 for intentional fire that spiked harmful air pollutants
Last November, on Nov. 25, the day after Thanksgiving, Tom Harris was driving on Six Forks Road near I-540 in north Raleigh when he saw a large plume of smoke on the horizon. Although Harris, who works for the state Division of Air Quality, was on vacation, he followed the smoke to Gresham Road, where […]
New Wolfspeed factory in Siler City would emit 203 tons of air pollutants per year
Update April 13, 12:06 p.m.: The NC Department of Environmental Quality today opened the public comment period for Wolfspeed’s air permit. Deadline is May 13. Details here. Wolfspeed, a manufacturer of key components for electric vehicles, would emit a half dozen air pollutants at its new Chatham County plant, totaling 203 tons per year, state documents […]
New EPA data shows NC released 59 million pounds of toxic chemicals in 2021, ranks 17th in US
More than 59 million pounds of toxic chemicals were released into the environment in North Carolina in 2021, according to new EPA data, the largest amount since 2015. Averaged across the state, that amount is equivalent to 1,046 pounds per square mile. The 2021 “Toxics Release Inventory” tracks discharges and emissions of nearly 800 harmful […]
One-word change in Farm Act could increase greenhouse gas emissions from hog farms
A one-word change in the Farm Act could allow hog farmers to capture methane from their waste lagoons, but choose not to use the gas for energy. Instead, the farmer could merely send the potent greenhouse gas through a flare and into the air. Current law allows for methane to be collected from the farms […]
Senate bill targets ReBuild NC to get disaster relief program on track
Displaced Hurricane survivors could return home more quickly if a new Senate bill aimed at ReBuild NC becomes law. Under Senate Bill 438, the state’s most vulnerable homeowners would get priority under ReBuild NC’s disaster relief program for the reconstruction or rehabs of their storm-damaged homes: People over age 62 Low-income families Families with children […]
Senate bill would strip governor of some appointment powers, give it to legislature
A new bill would strip the governor of some of his appointment powers and transfer them to the state legislature, potentially teeing up another constitutional showdown reminiscent of the 2016 court case McCrory v. Berger. Senate Bill 512 would change the political complexion of nine key boards and commissions. Sen. Warren Daniel, a Republican and co-sponsor of […]
ReBuild NC defends Rescue Construction, while fining company for delays in hurricane recovery
For the third time, hurricane survivors arrived at the state legislature – some sick, others frail, and all of them tired of living in motels. For the third time, lawmakers on a government oversight committee interrogated ReBuild NC Director Laura Hogshead, responsible for mismanaging the disaster recovery program. And for the third time, little substantive came […]
Despite signs of progress in hurricane recovery, ReBuild NC continues to struggle
Leoni entered this world on Jan. 23, a daughter of Donnie Red Hawk McDowell and his wife, Humming Bird, hurricane survivors and members of the Tuscarora Nation. In March, Leoni, her 3-year-old sister, Dyani, and their parents moved to a room on the second floor of an Extended Stay America in Fayetteville while their new mobile home was installed near Maxton.
Chemours blew deadline to build an underground wall to keep GenX out of Cape Fear River, but gets two-month extension
Chemours missed a key deadline in building a subsurface wall at its Fayetteville Works plant that would prevent GenX and other types of toxic PFAS from entering the Cape Fear River, state documents show. The barrier wall, more than a mile long and 60 to 80 feet deep, was supposed to be complete by March […]
DOT allegedly failed to set targets to reduce driving, required as part of settlement over Wake County toll road
The state Department of Transportation has not met its obligations under an historic settlement agreement over the Complete 540 toll road, according to a letter from the Southern Environmental Law Center. The letter to DOT, dated March 17, alleges the agency has failed to set targets to reduce the number of vehicle miles traveled – […]