News

McGrady to co-chair pollution investigation

By Bill Moss, Published: August 18, 2017

State Rep. Chuck McGrady, the go-to specialist on environmental legislation in the state House, has been appointed to co-chair of a commission that will look into an industrial plant's discharge of the chemical GenX into the Cape Fear River in Bladen County.

North Carolina Speaker of the House Tim Moore and Senate Leader Phil Berger announced on Friday that the joint legislative Environmental Review Commission will convene at 1:30 pm on Wednesday, Aug. 23, at the New Hanover County Government Center to investigate the discharge.

Secretaries of the state Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of Health and Human Services and Chemours officials will be invited to attend the hearing and answer questions about the developing matter. Members of the public are also invited to comment.

"It is important for legislators to visit the lower Cape Fear region and hear from local families, public officials and environmental experts," Moore & Berger said in a joint statement. “Legislative hearings will provide a transparent process to help lawmakers and the public understand what happened, review the administration's handling of this matter, and hopefully begin the process of identifying ways for the administration to address the immediate problem of GenX contamination in our water.”

Sen. Trudy Wade, R-Greensboro, is chair of the ERC. Rep. Jimmy Dixon also is a co-chair and Rep. Pat McElraft, is vice-chair.

A former president of the national Sierra Club, McGrady is a former summer camp owner who has served on state water quality and conservation boards and has guided legislation in the state House on environmental regulation.