The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) released a memo Monday expressing the Cooper administration’s intent to continue “to protect air quality, water quality and human health under all state environmental rules and regulations” during the current public health crisis.
Dustin Chicurel-Bayard, interim state director of the N.C. Sierra Club, issued the following statement:
We appreciate Governor Cooper’s recognition that leadership during this time of crisis requires not only meeting the challenges that we face from COVID-19, but also ensuring that North Carolina’s air, water, and environment continue to be protected.
At a time when the federal government is relaxing enforcement of environmental laws, our state government is demonstrating how public health and environmental protection go hand in hand. North Carolinians deserve to be protected from pollution at all times. We commend Governor Cooper’s commitment to ensuring enforcement of state environmental standards during a time of crisis.