Topics Related to Environment

Ahead of the release of his short session budget, Governor Roy Cooper today shared his recommendations and requests to better protect the people of North Carolina from the health and safety threats of emerging contaminants like GenX. In total, the Governor’s budget will recommend $14.5 million for the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to address the safety and quality of North Carolina’s water and environment.

Governor Cooper is urging North Carolinians to pay close attention to the weather forecast today and tomorrow as low temperatures and the potential for a wintry mix of precipitation impact the state.

Offshore drilling threatens North Carolina’s economy and environment with little benefit to the state and should not be allowed off our coast, Governor Roy Cooper told the federal government today.

Today, Noelle Talley, Deputy Communications Director for Governor Roy Cooper, shared the following statement on the legislature's failure to act on GenX:

In a meeting with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke today on offshore drilling and seismic testing, Governor Cooper underscored North Carolina’s opposition to both. Cooper was joined by elected officials and stakeholders from coastal North Carolina who stressed the threats both offshore drilling and seismic testing pose to North Carolina’s coastal economies and tourism industry.

Governor Roy Cooper urged Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to grant a 60-day extension on public comments on offshore drilling and seismic testing off of North Carolina’s coast. In the letter to Sec. Zinke, Governor Cooper also urged the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to hold additional public hearings on the North Carolina coast in Kill Devil Hills, Morehead City, and Wilmington. Currently, the only public feedback session is set to take place in Raleigh as an “open house.”

North Carolina will work toward a renewable energy future and rural economic development with the establishment of a new fund, Governor Roy Cooper said Friday.

The announcement comes as the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issues the requested water permit for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP).

Joined by local business leaders and elected officials, Gov. Roy Cooper once again called on the Trump Administration today to grant North Carolina an exemption from proposed seismic testing and offshore drilling and pledged potential legal action to protect North Carolina’s coastal communities.

Governor Roy Cooper joined six other Atlantic Coast governors this week in sending a letter to Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zinke to express opposition to the Trump Administration’s plan to open the Atlantic Coast to offshore drilling and request exemptions for the seven states similar to the one granted to Florida.

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.