DEQ Secretary highlights state budget investments in environmental programs

Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson welcomed the new state budget signed by Governor Josh Stein. The budget includes important investments in key Department priorities, including efforts to reduce people’s exposure to harmful forever chemicals, maintain healthy air quality, make communities resilient to increasingly frequent and severe weather, and invest in continued Helene recovery efforts.

“DEQ appreciates the General Assembly’s support for a number of important budget enhancements that are necessary for the Department to carry out the work to protect the air, water and land for all North Carolinians,” Secretary Wilson said. “DEQ remains committed to protecting North Carolinians’ health and safety and sustaining our state’s beautiful natural areas.”

The budget, however, cut positions that contribute to the agency's core mission and operations, including eliminating the Office of Environmental Education, which has a long history of supporting K-12 educators to advance science education, having certified more than 1,600 teachers, and improving the public's environmental literacy and stewardship of our natural resources. The budget also reduces funding by an estimated $100 million each year that would have supported water infrastructure projects that provide safe drinking water, boost economic development and make water systems more resilient to future disasters.

Examples of budget expansions for DEQ programs include:

$3 million for five positions and water sampling and testing.

$45 million for PFAS water infrastructure projects.

$10.2 million for the Bernard Allen Emergency Drinking Water Fund to sample private wells for PFAS contamination and provide alternate water supplies if needed.

Hurricane Helene recovery

$20 million for the Dam Safety Grant Fund to repair or remove dams damaged by Helene.

$1 million to continue mapping historical landslides to protect roads and critical infrastructure.

$4.5 million for Flood Resiliency Blueprint grants and $850,000 for Blueprint staffing. The Blueprint program is designed to increase communities’ resilience to flooding by identifying flood-prone areas, assessing risks, and prioritizing projects.

$250,000 to support two permanent staff positions for the Resilient Coastal Communities Program, which works with coastal governments to identify and develop projects that address coastal-specific risks.

$200,000 for management of the state’s Coastal Reserves, a network of 10 protected sites totaling more than 44,000 acres.

$850,000 match for federal funds for the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership (APNEP), to protect and restore the watershed of the two sounds.

$200,000 for APNEP submerged aquatic vegetation monitoring to improve habitat and water quality.

$1.5 million for continued development of inundation maps for dams and creation of a web-based tool to make the information publicly available.

$2.3 million for air quality programs to replace revenue lost due to the elimination of the vehicle emissions inspection program.

$2.1 million for nine new Marine Patrol officers.

$3.5 million to continue the Permit Transformation Program and $3 million for use of artificial intelligence for permitting processes.

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