Environmental Management Commission
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 […]
Monday numbers: 23 million solar panels will someday die. Should we recycle, reuse or throw away?
There are at least 23.3 million solar panels on utility-scale farms in North Carolina, and some day those panels will sputter out and die. What will become of these panels when they pass?
PFAS in garden compost: Comment now on proposed rules on how much, if any, contaminants this material should contain.
Compost is supposed to enrich your garden soil for a healthy summer bounty: tomatoes, peppers, green beans and melons. But some compost used on gardens and farms in North Carolina — and nationwide — contains perfluorinated compounds, or PFAS. The state’s compost rules are up for re-adoption, but they don’t require compost — or the materials used to […]
PW special report: Unregulated, untested and unknown
Investigation shows that dangerous chemical was included in materials received by NC composting facility This is the first of a two-part investigation into how the lack of federal regulations and state oversight allowed 1,4-Dioxane, a likely carcinogen and emerging contaminant, to be trucked in wastewater sludge to a North Carolina compost facility. Part 2 runs tomorrow morning.
A first for NC, DEQ wants new rules on methyl bromide emissions — and they’re stronger than sandbags and duct tape
After receiving more than 3,000 comments about proposed log fumigation facilities in eastern North Carolina, state officials are asking the Environmental Management Commission to pass new rules on emissions of methyl bromide, the toxic chemical used in that process. If the EMC agrees, the rules would be the first in North Carolina to specifically regulate […]
“There is no choice”: Teens petition Environmental Management Commission to reduce carbon emissions to zero
Although the eastern half of the United States is gripped by a record-setting cold snap, the frigid weather — contrary to Tweets from @realdonaldtrump — doesn’t indicate that climate change is waning. In fact, much of the rest of the globe is warmer than average, as much as 6 degrees above normal in the […]
Francis De Luca of Civitas loses argument against DEQ before Environmental Management Commission
In his attempt to undermine a deal brokered among the court, state and Chemours, Francis X. De Luca offered the Environmental Management Commission some weak legal sauce. De Luca, president of the conservative think tank Civitas, asked the EMC today to issue a declaratory ruling that ultimately could have voided a partial consent order between […]
This week: What you need to know, where you need to be to follow environmental issues
The Magic 8 Ball’s messages are hard to read this week in that we know a) there will be an attempt to override Gov. Cooper’s veto of the hog nuisance lawsuit bill. But when that will happen, well stay tuned. Likewise, we policy wonks are eagerly awaiting the unwrapping of the Senate budget as if it […]
This week in pollution: A final, breathtaking tally of what Hurricane Matthew hath wrought
Within a week of Hurricane Matthew, evidence of the what had been set free and sent asunder could be found on the roadsides throughout eastern North Carolina. A pair of rowboats landed belly up in the woods on Rouse Road in Kinston. A dead hog in Duplin County, separated from its farm, finally came to […]