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State Regulators Ask For More Funding As Report Highlights Cuts

The Haw River in Pittsboro. Several residents in this community are worried about 1,4 dioxane and PFAS contaminants detected in the waterway, which is used as drinking water source. KERI BROWN/WFDD

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality says a funding shortfall in the state budget leaves little room to address growing concerns. This comes as a new report shows the state spent less on pollution control programs compared to other states.

NCDEQ says it's underfunded and understaffed. The agency is dealing with a backlog of permits, as well as growing concerns over contaminants in drinking water. It's also getting environmental oversight pressure from booming industries, like agriculture.

Most recently, the agency asked for $6 million for 37 new full-time positions to help deal with PFAS contamination in waterways. Instead, the legislature earmarked a little over $400,000 dollars, which is on hold until the budget stalemate is resolved.

But lawmakers say they plan to revisit the issue after a statewide study on emerging contaminants is completed. It's part of a project funded by the General Assembly called The North Carolina Policy Collaboratory.

The recent report from the Environmental Integrity Project says the state reduced funding for the agency by more than 30 percent over a decade. It also says more than 400 jobs were eliminated between 2008 through 2018.

Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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