North Carolina just took a major step toward tapping its renewable energy potential.
All too often our beaches are plagued with pollution, and millions of swimmers get sick every year.
A bipartisan group of senators met Tuesday afternoon to prepare for a vote planned Wednesday on a $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework that aims to boost federal investment in U.S. infrastructure, including billions for roads, clean water and power infrastructure, according to media reports.
North Carolina has the potential to meet all of its electricity needs more than 30 times over with wind and solar energy. The state just took a major step toward tapping this potential.
Americans love the beach. No matter where we live, we should be able to expect that the water at our beaches is clean and safe for swimming. In fact, that was a key goal when our nation adopted the Clean Water Act in 1972. But all too often, those arriving for a summer day at the beach are met by an advisory sign warning of unsafe water. Even worse, millions of Americans in recent years have been sickened by swimming in contaminated water, with many hospitalized.
With North Carolinians returning to local beaches this summer, a new report warns that more work is needed to ensure that all waters are safe for swimming. In 2020, 87 North Carolina beaches were potentially unsafe for swimming on at least one day and 7 of those beaches were unsafe on at least 25% of the days they were tested according to Safe for Swimming?, Environment North Carolina Research and Policy Center’s annual analysis of bacteria testing. The report comes as Congress considers investments in water infrastructure.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a legislative package on Thursday that would improve water infrastructure, protect drinking water, and repair and expand our transportation system. The package combined several bills, including the Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2021 and the AQUA Act, under the umbrella of the INVEST in America Act.
