With the Weaver Fertilizer plant fire in Winston-Salem contained, the threat of explosion gone, and nearby residents returning to their evacuated homes, questions about what went wrong and how to prevent future emergencies like this one have taken center stage.
A November letter addressed to David Smith, deputy agriculture commissioner, from the NC Department of Environmental Quality described how inspectors found 10 feet of an unnamed stream had been illegally filled with dirt and rock.
In addition to climate change, North Carolina faces several environmental crises: Perfluorinated compounds in drinking water. The proliferation of the mining industry. Hazardous waste, air pollution, environmental justice.