Advocacy

Advocacy

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Margaret Mead

Our Advocacy Efforts…

Along with support from our partners, members, donors and grantors, we celebrated some major advocacy wins in 2019 and continued our work to protect and improve the water quality for the 1 in 5 North Carolinians who live in the Cape Fear River Basin, North Carolina’s largest watershed.

Here are a few of the highlights:

  • We won a multi-year fight against the poorly conceived attempt to reclassify of a portion of the Lower Cape Fear as a swamp!
  • Through our lawsuit, represented by Southern Environmental Law Center, we forced toxic polluter Chemours to invest hundreds of millions to clean-up pollution at their site and in OUR river; our legal victory, represented by EarthJustice, ensured that the US EPA doesn’t backslide on a needed overhaul of the Toxic Substances Control Act.
  • We conducted more than 20 flights and countless ground patrols documenting pollution and resulting in numerous referrals of waste management violations on swine and poultry farms to the state.
  • We worked with partners nationwide to push back on the weakening of the Clean Water Rule.
  • We educated and organized members on the waste management permit for swine farms, and continued to push the state for improvements to protect communities impacted by environmental injustice.
  • We continued to investigate the extent of coal ash contamination from spills in Sutton Lake and the Cape Fear; stressed the need for the state to adopt a strong Environmental Justice Assessment Tool, and urged the NC General Assembly to vote “no” on numerous bad bills that threaten the Cape Fear Basin.
  • We collaborated to submit public comments on numerous proposed projects in our area including the Cape Fear River crossing, the State Port Expansion, the Clean Water Rule and Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, the Southport Power Plant permit, and Hog Waste Biogas.
  • Want to help? Strength in advocacy comes in numbers. JOIN TODAY

Regional Focus

Environmental Injustice

Path to Systemic Change

Networks & Complimentary Strategies

With your help, Clean Water is possible.

Cape Fear River Watch  |  617 Surry Street  |  Wilmington, NC 28401  |  Phone: 910.762.5606