Around the States: South Carolina Abandons Costly Nuclear Plant
Around the States: South Carolina Abandons Costly Nuclear Plant What burns up $9 billion in electricity customers’ money, and still gets its own plug pulled? The answer is two unfinished nuclear power plant units in South Carolina. They never produced a watt of electricity, construction work was halted in 2017, and now the South Carolina […]
Administrative Watch: Toxic Fumigant Permit Request Withdrawn
Administrative Watch: Toxic Fumigant Permit Request Withdrawn Organized citizen opposition to a highly toxic fumigant is paying off in southeastern North Carolina. A second permit request for methyl bromide use in a log preparation operation has been withdrawn, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) reported last week. The permit request was for an […]
Climate Change Update: Public Awareness Grows
Climate Change Update: Public Awareness Grows The last two years of extreme weather events, from historic wildfires in the west to severe hurricanes and flooding in the east, have boosted public confidence that climate change is real. Two recent national polls find that strong majorities of Americans now believe that climate change is happening, that […]
Washington Watch: Environmental Enforcement Plummets Under Trump
Washington Watch: Environmental Enforcement Plummets Under Trump Under President Trump, penalties for federal environmental violations have dropped to their lowest level since the enforcement office was created in 1994. In fact, the total amount of fines levied against polluters by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the last fiscal year plummeted to just $72 […]
Campaign Watch: Judge Refuses to Declare Winner in 9th District
Campaign Watch: Judge Refuses to Declare Winner in 9th District A state Superior Court judge has rejected candidate Mark Harris’s petition to be declared winner of the Ninth Congressional District election, due to the ongoing investigation of alleged absentee ballot fraud involving his campaign. Judge Paul Ridgeway ruled there is no justification for taking the […]
Education & Resources: Wood Pellet Industry Threatens Forests and Climate
Education & Resources: Wood Pellet Industry Threatens Forests and Climate A new report details the wood pellet industry’s threat to North Carolina’s forests and climate. The Rachel Carson Council, a national environmental research and education group, has released “Clear Cut: Wood Pellet Production, the Destruction of Forests, and the Case for Environmental Justice.” The report […]
Administrative Watch: Impaired Waters List Grows
Administrative Watch: Impaired Waters List Grows The “impaired waters” list of North Carolina rivers, streams, and lakes recognized as too polluted to meet Clean Water Act standards is growing. The list is prepared by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) every two years, as part of its job of enforcing the Clean Water […]
Coast Watch: Judge Halts Sonic Blasting Permit Work During Shutdown
Coast Watch: Judge Halts Sonic Blasting Permit Work During Shutdown A federal court in South Carolina ruled Friday that all federal work on sonic blasting permits for offshore oil and gas exploration must stop until the partial government shutdown is over. The order deals with permits and related work regarding five companies’ requests to use […]
Conservationists: New NCLCV Leaders Step Up
Conservationists: New NCLCV Leaders Step Up Mac Montgomery and Elizabeth Redenbaugh have been elected the new president and vice president of the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters (NCLCV). Both newly installed NCLCV leaders have experience serving in elected public office. Montgomery is the former mayor of Kure Beach. Redenbaugh served on the New Hanover […]
Washington Watch: Shutdown Threatens Our Health
Washington Watch: Shutdown Threatens Our Health State conservation voter leagues around the country are speaking out about the rising threat to public health, the environment, and natural resources posed by the ongoing partial shutdown of the federal government. The interruption of critical environmental services as well as parks and wildlife management programs is hitting harder […]
