With summer in full swing, water pollution can close North Carolina beaches or put swimmers' health at risk. Last year, bacteria levels at 93 North Carolina beaches indicated that water was potentially unsafe for swimming there on least one day, according to the new report Safe for Swimming? by Environment North Carolina Research and Policy Center. The report comes as Congress is set to vote tomorrow on a major spending bill that includes an additional $11 billion for water infrastructure.
Despite the critically important role the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has played in protecting the environment, the Trump Administration today rolled back the key regulatory policy. As a result, certain construction projects that are not substantially funded by the government will no longer require federal environmental reviews. This will endanger wildlife and cause an increase in carbon dioxide emissions.
Asheville is distinguished as a “Solar Star” for having a significant amount of installed solar energy capacity relative to other cities across the country, 89.5 watts per capita. The results are highlighted in the seventh edition of Shining Cities: The Top U.S. Cities for Solar Energy, a new report released today by Environment North Carolina Research & Policy Center. It is the most comprehensive survey available of installed solar capacity in major U.S. cities.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers have now revoked federal protection for thousands of waterways across North Carolina, as published in the Federal Register. With our ecosystems and drinking water at stake, Environment North Carolina will challenge the Dirty Water Rule in court.
Raleigh, North Carolina with over 1,362,540 people suffered through 75 days of poor air quality due to air pollution in 2018, according to a new report from Environment North Carolina Research & Policy Center, Frontier Group and NCPIRG Education Fund. Statistics from 2018 represent the most recent data available. Air pollution increases the risk of premature death, asthma attacks and other adverse health impacts.
“No North Carolinian deserves to breathe one day of bad air---much less 75 days worth, ” said Jamie Lockwood, Climate and Clean Energy Associate with Environment North Carolina Research and Policy Center. “Air quality will only get worse as our climate warms, so we have no time to lose. We must make progress toward clean air.”
Environment North Carolina Research and Policy Center is part of The Public Interest Network, which operates and supports organizations committed to a shared vision of a better world and a strategic approach to social change.
