Federation Stimulus Grant Puts Money in Fishermen's Pockets

Commercial fishermen are lining up to to take advantage of a federal economic stimulus grant that the N.C. Coastal Federation received to restore oyster habitat along the coast while providing jobs. The fishermen will be paid to transport 41,000 bushels of oyster shell at planting sites in Onslow, Carteret, Hyde and New Hanover counties. Baby oysters, called spat, will settle on the shells and build new oysters reefs.

Money for the $5 million grant money is also being used to build two large oyster sanctuaries in Pamlico Sound... read more

See our Oyster Habitat Page for more information about the value of oyster reefs and the work we do to restore them.

Southeast Coast: Urge Perdue to Delay Action on All Titan Permits

Because of the recent scandals concerning campaign fundraising and environmental permitting, the public has lost confidence in the objectivity of state agencies, the federation and two other conservation groups said in a letter to Gov. Beverly Perdue. We have asked Perdue to delay issuing environmental permits for Titan America's proposed cement plant near Wilmington until an investigation she ordered into any permitting irregularities is completed.

Our letter notes two recent press reports: The News & Observer of Raleigh gives a good recounting of the efforts Titan and the state made to allow the company to apply for its state permits without first doing a comprehensive review of the plant's environmental effects, as state law seems to require. The federation is among the groups asking the courts to review that decision. The Star-News in Wilmington reported that fundraisers for former governor Mike Easley sold a building in Wilmington to a Titan executive for twice its tax value. The News & Observer devoted its editorial page to the Titan permit.

Action Alert: Urge Gov. Perdue to delay all action on Titan

We've also asked the secretary of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources to take steps to ensure that Titan's emissions don't further contaminate the Northeast Cape Fear River with mercury.

The N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law in its blog also calls on Perdue to delay action on Titan permits. The institute is a nonprofit started by Bob Orr, a retired state supreme court justice

For more information, contact Mike Giles at 910-509-2838 [ Email ] or visit our Titan Page.

See our regional page for more about what we're doing along the Southeast coast.

Central Coast: North River Farms Featured in Publication About Habitats

Our ongoing wetlands restoration project at North River Farms in eastern Carteret County is featured in a new publication about projects around the country that have successfully restored coastal habitats. Restore America's Estuaries published Hope for Coastal Habitats, which was written primarily by Frank Tursi, our Cape Lookout Coastkeeper and a former environmental journalist, and edited by Christine Miller, our communications director. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration paid for the publication.

[ download pdf ]

For detailed information on our project at North River, see our North River Farms Page.

Draft Report on Groins Needs Work

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission spent $300,000 on a report that proponents of building small jetties on our beaches hoped would show that these so-called “terminal groins” are everywhere protecting expensive beachfront property without destroying the beach in the process. The draft of the report is out. Here’s one of its conclusions: “Under particular conditions, it may be possible to limit adverse effects with terminal structures without detrimental effects to the adjacent shorelines.” Not exactly a ringing endorsement... read more

• Read draft report

The state legislature ordered the commission to undertake a study of these small jetties, which are being promoted by a number of beach communities. Allowing such structures threatens to undermine the state's strong policies to protect our beaches.

The blog Progressive Pulse notes that some big names are lobbying to overturn the jetty ban. Among them are Dean Smith, the retired basketball coach at UNC-Chapel Hill, and Parker Overton, the founder of a chain of sporting goods stores.

The commission will hold its fifth and final public hearing on the groin on:

• Wednesday, March 24, in Sunset Beach, starting at 5 p.m.

See our Advocacy Page for more information.

Federation Asks to Join State to Defend Landfill Lawsuit

The federation has filed a motion in Wake County Superior Court asking that we be allowed to join the state to defend a landmark state law that provides needed environmental safeguards against mega-landfills. Waste Industries USA and its subsidiary has sued the state and wants the law declared unconstitutional... read more

Fall-Winter Newsletter Now Available

The state has commissioned a study on using small jetties, called groins, at inlets along our beaches to control erosion. The University of North Carolina and Duke Energy are proposing to build a windmill in Pamlico Sound to test the feasibility of producing commercial quantities of electricity. Read about those issues as well as our work building rain gardens, restoring oysters reefs and more in our latest newsletter Coastal Review.

[ view pdf ]

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