NC Department of Commerce
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 […]
Gov. Cooper’s budget on environmental issues: what it contains and why it matters
Gov. Roy Cooper unveiled his $29.3 billion budget yesterday, 3% of which is devoted to natural and economic resources. Here are some highlights of the environmental sections and why they’re important: Department of Environmental Quality $2.49 million to address emerging compounds with additional staff and testing Why it matters: Are you tired of PFAS yet? […]
Monday numbers: Offshore wind(fall) could create the clean jobs people are clamoring for
Tune in to nearly any public environmental meeting and you'll hear residents of environmental justice communities repeatedly clamor for clean jobs: not pipelines or wood pellet plants, but careers in industries that will break the cycle of generational poverty, while leaving the planet a more hospitable place for future generations.
Robeson County residents tell DEQ to deny air permit for Active Energy wood pellet plant
A proposed wood pellet plant faces vehement opposition from many Robeson County residents, including elected officials, and environmental advocates, who say the facility would not only pollute the air, but also would be financially risky and environmentally unjust. The NC Department of Environmental Quality held a virtual public hearing Monday night to receive formal comments […]
House reallocates $250K from rural grant program to “protect” rural areas from EPA
Ahoskie, population 5,000, is nicknamed “The Only One,” because it is the only such named town in the world. Located in Hertford County, Ahoskie has seen better days, with its downtown revitalization occurring in very small steps: A coffee shop here, a theater there — and crumbling buildings in between. Rep. Chris Millis sponsored an amendment […]
Commerce Secretary John Skvarla would rather deal with coal ash than HB2
Faced with an unprecedented environmental disaster like coal ash or an unprecedented civil rights disaster like HB2, Commerce Secretary John Skvarla said he would choose pollution. “I’ll go back to DENR and take coal ash all day long,” he recently told members of the NC Travel and Tourism Board. “Candidly, I can quantify coal ash. And I can […]