In Memoriam: Bill Gupton
June 16, 2015
It is with great sadness that we tell you that Bill Gupton passed away on June 16 after struggling with advanced lung cancer for several months. Bill has been an extraordinary force for the Sierra Club here in North Carolina for many years. He was...
NC Solar Policies Under Attack
May 20, 2015
House Bills 332 and 760 would freeze North Carolina’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (REPS) and dramatically shift state policy away from solar energy.Since 2007, North Carolina has been the only state in the Southeast with a requirement that...
BREAKING: State Environmental Policy Under Attack
April 29, 2015
The NC House is expected to hear a bill that would severely weaken the NC Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). What is SEPA? In 1969, the US Congress passed one of the nation’s great environmental laws, NEPA, or the National Environmental Policy Act....
Op-Ed: A clear need for a clean power plan for NC
April 7, 2015
"So far, no public steps have been taken by the administration to engage citizens, renewable energy providers or other businesses in the essential discussion of how our state will design a workable plan to reduce carbon emissions while preparing to...
McCrory administration sends mixed signals on wind power
March 6, 2015
In a recent comment letter from DENR Secretary Don van der Vaart to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the McCrory administration went on record requesting that offshore wind projects not be allowed within 24 nautical miles of the...
NC Sierra Club urges focus on renewables instead of offshore drilling
January 27, 2015
"As the administration moves to finalize this draft proposal, we hope they'll recognize that North Carolina’s energy future should be focused on tapping our region's large offshore wind potential. Choosing clean energy will benefit economies up and...
A message from the Chair: 2015 - The year ahead
January 21, 2015
"When I think about the environmental goals that the North Carolina Sierra Club will be focusing on this year, it’s pretty clear to me that these are things that offer strong benefits to our citizens and shouldn’t be controversial. They just make...
Pushing for forward-thinking policies: A preview of the 2015 session
January 21, 2015
North Carolina has historically been a leader in the south on forward-thinking environmental policy but in the past few years, appears to be backtracking in this area. As you may know, the Legislature began its 2015 long session last week with a...
Management plan passed for NC's coal ash ponds
August 21, 2014
Following the Dan River coal ash spill, revelations that coal ash pollution has contaminated rivers, lakes, streams and drinking water resulted in an unprecedented public demand for action. Duke Energy produces an estimated 1.2 million tons of coal...
NC Sierra Club: Coal ash management plan should go further
August 21, 2014
The Legislature today gave final approval to the Coal Ash Management Act of 2014, a complex measure that for the first time regulates coal ash like other wastes but also undermines a court ruling that would have required immediate cleanup of coal...