Author Archive

BASE Panel Updates NCBIWA on Waters of the United States

Thank you to BASE members Matt Hanchey (Hunton & Williams) and Jim Spangler (Spangler Environmental) for serving on a panel with BASE staff at the North Carolina Beach Inlet and Waterway (NCBIWA) Annual Meeting at Wrightsville Beach. Full Lumina News coverage. The panel gave an update on Waters of the United States to crowd of

Controversy Stirs Over Proposed Changes to Clean Water Act

(VIA TIME WARNER CABLE NEWS) WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH — Jurisdiction over certain waterways in the state could be changing. This topic made Monday’s agenda for the two-day annual Conference of the North Carolina Beach, Inlet and Waterway Association in Wrightsville Beach. The Environmental Protection Agency’s current effort to clarify what’s protected under the Clean Water Act

NCDOT Board Members Want Legislature To Decide on New Fees

(VIA NEWS & OBSERVER) The state Board of Transportation agreed Wednesday to tell the legislature that new fees would be needed to eliminate taxpayer subsidies that now pay for services the state Department of Transportation performs for developers and other businesses – but board members made it clear that legislators would be responsible for any

New Hanover County Conducts Resident Satisfaction Survey

New Hanover county is conducting a resident satisfaction survey now open to all residents. The survey is intended to provide feedback on county government, individual awareness, and community participation. As well as being available online, the survey is being mailed to 4,000 randomly selected households for statistically valid results. Submissions are open until November 5;

Homeowners Insurance Rate Case Underway

BASE’s Tyler Newman speaks with WECT on the first day of the Homeowners Insurance Rate Case in Raleigh It is “old news” for those that attended the September 22 Town Hall meeting with Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin, but the homeowners insurance rate hearing originally scheduled for August 2014, started October 20, 2014, at 9 a.m.

Coastal Resources Commission to Hear Proposed Land Use Plan Changes

At their meeting in Wilmington next week, the Coastal Resources Commission will hear a report on proposed amendments to the 7B CAMA Land Use Planning Requirements and 7L Local Planning and Management Grants. The draft language is in response to comments and input gathered at two regional workshops held in Wilmington and Plymouth this past

EPA extends comment period on “Waters of the US” rule

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended the comment period to November 14 on a controversial new rule known as, ‘Waters of the United States.” The rule would greatly expand the EPA’s regulatory jurisdiction to smaller bodies of water like tributaries and ditches. The EPA has been accepting public comment on the rule since April,

DOE to set higher standards for water heaters

The Department of Energy has made amendments to energy conservation standards on residential water heaters to go into effect on April 16, 2015.   Energy output of water heaters are measured by an Energy Factor (EF) rating calculated by the DOE.  The higher the EF, the more efficient the heater. The standards for EF ratings have

ONSLOW COUNTY PLANNING BEGINS PROCESS OF AMENDING UDO

In September, the Onslow County Planning Board and Board of Adjustment had a joint work session to discuss the Unified Development Ordinance. According to County Planning Staff, the intent is to begin the process of potential ordinance changes this fall, with an anticipated completion date of Fall 2015. Some of the focus areas identified and

Plan NHC Update: September 2014

Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC):   Staff is pleased to announce the Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) held its first meeting on September 4th. The first meeting was designed to gather input from members on what they hoped to achieve during the CAC process as well as a brief report from each theme committee representative. The next meeting