- PTRF in the News
PTRF in the News
Below are recent new items related to PTRF and environmental and resources issues associated with the Pamlico-Tar River watershed. Check back frequently to review the latest information.
Press Release:
Conservation groups denounce move by mining company to skirt wetlands protection laws
September 18, 2008 - Washingotn, NC - Nine of the state’s most powerful conservation groups today condemned an attempt by PCS Phosphate Company, Inc. to get around environmental laws affecting its plans to extract phosphate ore in a mining operation that would destroy more than 4,000 acres of wetlands and five miles of streams in Beaufort County. The company this week asked the public to request that U.S. Senators Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr and U.S. Representatives G.K. Butterfield and Walter Jones urge federal regulators to allow the company to proceed with its plans, notwithstanding the objections of several federal and state agencies. Read Press Release.
Press Release: NC Waterkeepers Demand State Agency Act
September 5, 2008 - Raleigh, NC - In the wake of the worst fish kills in some North Carolina waters in more than a decade, ten environmental advocates from across the state called on Secretary William Ross of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) this week to use his powers as the delegated Trustee for the Natural Resources of North Carolina to stop the rampant destruction of the state’s natural resources. Read Press Release.
Algae suspect in Pamlico Fish Kill
August 28, 2008- Raleigh, NC - The largest fish kill on the Pamlico River in more than a decade could be linked to a potentially toxic algae that researchers only recently have begun to focus on in North Carolina waters. Read More.
Microbes may have killed fish
August 27, 2008 Washington, NC -Toxin released by a dinoflagellate called karlodinium may have been a contributing factor in an Aug. 6 fish kill that left more than 3.9 million fish dead in a section of the Pamlico River.
Second fish kill found--- nearly 4 million reported in Pamlico River
August 6, 2008 New Bern, NC- Nearly 4 million fish were found dead Wednesday in the Pamlico River just east of Washington.It was the second large fish kill reported this week in Eastern North Carolina rivers. On Tuesday, an estimated 750,000 dead fish were found in the Neuse River between Otter Creek and Carolina Pines. Read More.
Team Investigates Fish Kill
August 2, 2008 Washington, NC - Extremely low levels of dissolved oxygen are the likely cause of a fish kill that occurred in Blounts Creek, according to a spokeswoman with the Pamlico River Rapid Response Team.
Commission Generates Controversy
July 23, 2008 Washington, NC - On its face, the N.C. Environmental Management Commission is a regulatory body, writing environmental rules that state officials use to issue permits that control development and other activities that affect the state’s environment. Read More.
City Okays Strategy for Harbor
JUly 17, 2008 Washington, NC - An advisory panel will make recommendations to the Washington City Council on how to best implement a harbor-management plan. The plan was accepted by the council during its meeting Monday. Read More.
PCS Phosphate Awaits Decision
July 11, 2008 Washington, NC - Comment period on permit request comes to and end. Read More.
Senate Okays Stormwater Compromise
July 10, 2008 Washington, NC -Beaufort County and 11 of its allies are “half-way home” to getting approval of new stormwater regulations officials and residents of those counties can live with, according to the lobbyist working for the counties. Read More.
Stormwater Compromise could be Struck Thursday
June 25, 2008 Washington, NC -Groups with a stake in the passage of new coastal-area stormwater regulations are expected to conclude their negotiations Thursday.But in reaching an expected compromise, the environmental community has had to make a number of concessions to 12 coastal counties to secure their passage, according to one Beaufort County environmentalist. Read More.
Legislators Eye Compromise on Stormwater Bill
June 5, 2008 Washington, NC - N.C. Senate leader Marc Basnight wants to establish stormwater runoff rules that are “workable” and “sensible” that are not cost prohibitive for coastal property owners to build on their lots.That was the message Basnight, a Dare County Democrat, delivered to a group of Beaufort County environmentalists Wednesday. Read More.
Corps Publishes Final PCS Impactd Statement
May 24, 2008 Washington, NC - The Army Corps of Engineers issued Friday morning its final environmental impact statement on a proposed continuation at PCS Phosphate’s mine in Aurora. The proposed expansion would occur over a 37-year period and would impact approximately 4,135 acres of public-trust waters including wetlands adjacent to The Pamlico River, South Creek and Durham Creek. Read More.
River Cleanup Grand Success
Press Release, May 27, 2008 Washington, NC- On Saturday, May 24th, local citizens put their Memorial Day Weekend plans on hold to tackle pollution in the Tar-Pamlico River, as part of National River Cleanup Week 2008. The Pamlico-Tar River Foundation (PTRF) organized the cleanups in Greenville and Washington. Forty-eight volunteers ignored the rainy conditions and helped cleanup almost seven miles of the Tar-Pamlico River. Read More.
Volunteers cope with rain to cleanup Tar River
May 26, 2008 Greenville, NC -Keeping the Tar River clean is not just a matter of keeping local wildlife safe. It also ensures humans stay healthy. The nearly 50 volunteers who turned out to pluck trash from the muddy waters on a rainy weekend morning know that. Read More.
Wetlands Mining Proposed
May 24, 2007 - Army Corps files impact statement on PCS Phosphate's plans near Pamlico River in Beaufort County. A proposal to strip-mine for phosphate in more than 4,000 acres of wetlands near the Pamlico River was outlined Friday by the Army Corps of Engineers in an environmental impact statement. Read More.
Funds from the Kayakalon will help Goose Creek program
April 27, 2008 Washington, NC -The Pamlico-Tar River Foundation’s 2nd Annual “Race for the River” Kayakalon took over Goose Creek State Park on a muggy Saturday morning, with 124 people from all over the Southeast participating in the event. Read More.
New Rules Make Sense
April 15, 2008 Washington, NC -The quality of our coastal waters concerns all residents in this area and attracts many visitors and their dollars. Much uninformed rhetoric has been heard about the proposed enhanced stormwater rules for the coastal counties. Read More.