CIB 12/29/2014
Governor McCrory gives North Carolina’s environment another lump of coal this holiday season. This week inCIB. Executive Watch: McCrory Names New DENR Secretary Gov. Pat McCrory last week named Don van der Vaart as the new Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), replacing the outgoing John Skvarla. Van der Vaart is currently a deputy […]
CIB 12/22/2014
North Carolina’s rulemaking oversight agency last week green-lighted new rules for fracking permits, even while another state decided that health concerns justify putting fracking on hold. This week in CIB. Administrative Watch: RRC Fast-Tracks Fracking Rules No time, excuse us, gotta go now. Never let it be said that the NC Rules Review Commission (RRC) […]
Nine Ways to Stay Green during this Holiday Season
Katie Paulson, NCLCV Online Engagement Coordinator Wrapping paper? Check. Tree? Check. Lights? Check. Environmental impact study? Uhhhh… Some of you may have already mastered the art of keeping your holiday celebrations as environmentally-friendly as possible. But, for the vast majority of those participating (this writer included) in the traditions of the season, it’s easy to […]
CIB 12/15/2014
Its main tasks complete, the Mining and Energy Commission (MEC) is still making news. This week in CIB. Administrative Watch: MEC Denies Air Rules Petition; Sleeping Watchdog Barks Late Even with its main tasks completed and its scheduled dissolution date just a few months away, the Mining and Energy Commission (MEC) is still making news. […]
CIB 12/8/2014
Clean water protections from construction site sediment have been drastically reduced since 2010. This week inCIB. Administrative Watch: Sedimentation Enforcement Slashed State enforcement of controls on sediment pollution of waterways in North Carolina has dropped dramatically since 2010,according to an analysis by reporters from WFAE radio in Charlotte. The analysis shows that the number of […]
CIB 12/1/2014
Clean air rules are the environmental focus in news out of Washington. This week in CIB.. Washington Watch: EPA Announces Tougher Smog Standards The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week proposed tightening its rule limiting ground-level ozone, one of the most important contributors to urban smog and related health problems. EPA’s move represents a […]
NCLCV Board, Staff Give Thanks for 2014
What are you thankful for this year? We posed this question to members of NCLCV’s board of directors and staff in light of tomorrow’s holiday. The biggest themes from our team: elevating the environment as a voting issue, the sense of community, and the growth of our organization – from new staff to major impacts […]
CIB 11/24/2014
Big oil spent big on the 2014 elections.This week in CIB. Campaign Watch: Big Oil Spent Big on 2014 Elections At least four of the newly-elected U.S. Senators coming into office in January won their races with heavy financial support from the oil and energy industry sector. They will make up part of the new […]
Response to the final fracking rule package and Hearing Officers’ Report
Prepared by Grady McCallie, NC Conservation Network, grady@ncconservationnetwork.org November 18, 2014 On Friday, November 14, the NC Mining & Energy Commission adopted a final package of fracking rules. Between July and September, over 30,000 commenters – individuals, agencies, corporations – submitted over 200,000 comments on the 120+ draft fracking rules. The final rules package incorporates […]
CIB 11/17/2014
The state Mining and Energy Commission has adopted rules on fracking. This week in CIB. Administrative Watch: MEC Adopts Fracking Rules The NC Mining and Energy Commission (MEC) last week gave its final approval to rules for regulating the use of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling (“fracking”) for extracting oil and gas. On two proposals […]
