Zachary Turner

The EPA awarded Solar for All grants to fund projects that expand community and residential solar in low-income and disadvantaged communities to lower energy costs. In North Carolina, the state’s EnergizeNC program is preparing to launch later this year.

Hurricane Helene flooded the Carolinas during peak tourist season last year. Now, the outdoor outfitters — those who remain — are gearing up for an uncertain summer.

The EPA announced plans Wednesday to roll back drinking water standards for so-called “forever chemicals.” In North Carolina, water treatment facilities across the state have spent millions to upgrade filtration systems to treat PFAS pollution.

Every five years, the city updates its plan to reduce carbon pollution and energy usage. Charlotte City Council got its first look at the updated plan during Monday’s meeting.

Charlotte City Council will vote on updates to the city’s energy and climate goals later this month. The city has made significant strides toward electrifying its buildings and improving energy efficiency — but with the federal government cutting spending, the question is whether the city can still meet its ambitious emissions-reduction targets.

The EPA is giving employees a second chance to accept offers of deferred resignation or retirement, people familiar with the matter. In the Southeast,1,000 employees have already left the agency since the beginning of the year.

Theologian, author and activist Benjamin Chavis spoke Wednesday at Wake Forest University's environmental justice summit in Winston-Salem. Chavis was wrongfully imprisoned in 1972 as a member of the Wilmington Ten, a group of civil rights activists, and went on to coin the term “environmental racism” after his release, when he turned to fighting the unequal impact of pollution. He recently published a book on the trans-Atlantic slave trade. WFAE’s Zachary Turner sat down with Chavis during the summit to talk about the current political climate around environmental justice.

The National Science Foundation has canceled hundreds of grants, and the National Endowment for the Humanities even more. The cancellation of grants bearing the scarlet letters of DEI has left students and universities reeling — but even the threat of cancellation has had consequences.

Transportation is the No. 1 source of emissions in North Carolina. To reduce planet-warming fossil fuel consumption, more people will need to electrify their rides, but carbon-free vehicles remain too costly for many households to own.

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. In the case of Lake Norman, the road to hell might be paved with invasive fish that spell the demise of native black bass species.