Press Releases

After Senate Republicans adjourned this afternoon’s special session, the General Assembly missed yet another opportunity to address the unfunded class-size mandate causing budget crunches in schools or provide the resources DEQ and DHHS have requested to combat emerging contaminants statewide. Governor Cooper’s spokesman, Ford Porter, offered the following statement:

Following an announcement late yesterday that the Trump Administration will exempt Florida from its plan to open Atlantic and Pacific coastal waters to offshore drilling, Governor Cooper today urged Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zinke to grant an exemption for North Carolina. Gov. Cooper requested a meeting with the Secretary to explain the critical threat drilling and seismic testing pose to North Carolina’s coastal communities, economy and environment. The state is also exploring legal options to prevent offshore drilling.

Another round of winter weather is expected to cause hazardous travel conditions later today across the North Carolina mountains, foothills and portions of the Triad, Governor Roy Cooper cautioned North Carolinians this morning.

While roads continue to improve from last week’s winter storm, persistent cold temperatures mean ice and snow linger in some areas and drivers should use caution, Governor Roy Cooper reminded North Carolinians Saturday.

Governor Roy Cooper today urged legislative Republicans to provide funding for smaller class sizes to phase in the currently unfunded mandate when they convene in Raleigh next week.  The governor’s comments followed a visit to Cotswold Elementary School in Charlotte, where he met with students, teachers, support staff, and administrators.
 

Road conditions on major interstates and highways in North Carolina are greatly improved today and Department of Transportation crews have turned their attention to clearing secondary roads, but there are still many patches of black ice and drivers should continue to be cautious, Governor Roy Cooper advised.

A strong winter storm moved quickly through North Carolina Wednesday night into Thursday, leaving three deaths, significant snow, and scattered power outages, Governor Roy Cooper said Thursday. While the snow will end by mid-day, bitterly cold temperatures will remain through the weekend, and refreezing will make it difficult to clear roads.

Today, Governor Cooper shared the following statement on the White House’s announcement on offshore drilling:
 
“Offshore drilling represents a critical threat to our coastal economy. Protecting North Carolina families and businesses is my top priority, and we will pursue every option to prevent oil drilling near North Carolina’s beaches, coastal communities, and fishing waters.”

Despite a shorter signup period, 523,989 people in North Carolina signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Governor Roy Cooper and DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D., thanked more than a dozen organizations that helped with enrollments before the Dec. 15 deadline.

State officials are preparing for North Carolina’s first winter storm of 2018 and people in areas that could see snow are encouraged to do the same, Governor Roy Cooper said Tuesday.