Former DEQ Secretary Donald van der Vaart was appointed to the post by State Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby last July. Van der Vaart, known for his anti-regulatory stances, served as DEQ secretary under former Gov. Pat McCrory.
Lisa Sorg
Bio: Lisa Sorg is the editor of INDY Week.Email: [email protected]: http://twitter.com/lisasorg
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Cooper Signs Executive Order Calling For Deeper Cuts in Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Focus on Environmental Justice
The 50 percent reductions are in line with U.S. commitments under the international Paris Agreement.
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PFAS, Climate Change, Mining, and Hazardous Waste: 2022 Will Be Another Critical Year for the Environment in North Carolina
In addition to climate change, North Carolina faces several environmental crises: Perfluorinated compounds in drinking water. The proliferation of the mining industry. Hazardous waste, air pollution, environmental justice.
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Court of Appeals Rules N.C. Lawmakers Were Within Their Authority to All But Outlaw Hog Nuisance Suits
Hog farms are exempt from nuisance suits, as long as the state has not cited them for civil or criminal penalties for water quality violations in the past three years; the law does not consider degraded air quality as a nuisance.
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‘We Don’t Have Time to Wait’: Residents Tell DEQ It Must Quickly Regulate Toxic PFAS in Drinking Water
Roughly 1,850 facilities in North Carolina could be handling PFAS and potentially discharging them into water, according to an EPA database.
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Levels of 1,4-Dioxane Above Health Advisory Goal in Untreated Drinking Water in Pittsboro
The EPA has yet to regulate 1,4-Dioxane, a likely carcinogen, in drinking water.
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On the Verge of Extinction, Red Wolves Get a Reprieve; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Reinstate Protections, Upending Trump-Era Proposal
Red wolves will be protected in five counties—Beaufort, Dare, Hyde, Tyrrell, and Washington. Had an earlier proposal become final, people could have killed the wolves in previously protected areas.
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More Than 30 Air Pollution Hotspots in North Carolina Have Elevated Cancer Rates, Per ProPublica Study
ProPublica yesterday unveiled a massive environmental story that mapped the spread of cancer-causing chemicals from sources of hazardous air pollution across the country between 2014 and 2018.
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EPA Finally Launches Major Effort to Curb PFAS Pollution, to Mixed Reviews About Whether It’s Enough
EPA Administrator Michael Regan on Monday unveiled the agency’s “PFAS Strategic Roadmap.” The 26-page document lays out nearly 40 proposed actions to assess the hazards of PFAS compounds, including GenX, through 2024.
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Revamped Energy Bill Alleviates Some Concerns, But Would Still Burden Duke Energy’s Low-Income Ratepayers
According to the N.C. Utilities Commission data, 456,752 customers of Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress were behind on their bills.