Attorney General Roy Cooper awards grants annually to projects that will help improve our water quality.
Previous grants have helped to preserve land along our rivers, restore wetlands, clean up hog lagoons and find alternative uses for hog waste.
Since the program began, Cooper has awarded more than $19 million to 77 projects. So far, these projects have resulted in the closure of 183 animal waste lagoons with an additional 14 in progress and the restoration or permanent conservation of 19,794 acres of land and wildlife habitat, as well as several environmental education and research initiatives.
Program Background
On July 25, 2000, the North Carolina Attorney General and Smithfield Foods Inc. signed an agreement to identify environmentally superior technologies for hog waste disposal. Smithfield committed to provide money to promote environmental programs in North Carolina.
Under the agreement, the Attorney General is responsible for designating organizations to receive reimbursement funds to complete projects to enhance the environment of the North Carolina.
In order to maximize the benefits to North Carolina’s environment, the Attorney General, after consultation with Smithfield, the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources and others, established the Environmental Enhancement Grants Program in January 2003.
The program provides reimbursement money to organizations for projects that improve the environmental quality of North Carolina.
Program Objectives
The EEG Program seeks to improve the air, water and land quality of North Carolina by funding environmental projects that address the goals of the Smithfield – Attorney General Agreement.
Grants are awarded to projects that reflect the goals of the Smithfield-Attorney General Agreement to improve and preserve the natural resources of North Carolina and to develop and implement environmentally superior swine waste management technologies.
The EEG Program funds immediate restoration or improvement projects to restore and protect impaired, degraded or endangered surface waters, groundwater and other natural resources. In addition, the EEG Program promotes long-term environmental enhancement programs to conserve and protect targeted natural areas.
Because North Carolina’s environmental enhancement needs will change over the 25 years of funding, the EEG Program is designed to be flexible and to shift priorities depending on the needs identified each year.
Apply for a Grant
Letters of intent for 2012 EEG grants are due by 5 PM on Friday, August 10. Proposals for 2012 EEG grants are due by 11 AM on Friday, September 14.
Read the
request for proposals.
If you have questions about the grant program or the application process, please contact us at
EEG@ncdoj.gov.
Previous Grant Winners
2011 Grant Recipients
1. The North Carolina Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation will receive a grant of $415,000 to close inactive hog waste lagoons and help farmers install water storage ponds to reduce pressure on local streams during droughts.
2. The Nature Conservancy will receive $325,000 to acquire a conservation easement on the 580-acre Troutman Farm in Hoke County.
3. The North Carolina Coastal Land Trust will receive $190,000 to acquire conservation easements and create wooded buffers along Slocum Creek in Havelock, NC.
4. The North Carolina Division of Soil & Water Conservation will be granted $100,000 to help local citizens reduce agricultural and stormwater pollution in the Neuse and Tar Pamlico River Basins.
5. The Blue Ridge Forever coalition will receive $185,000 to protect water quality and wildlife habitat in Henderson, Mitchell, Macon, Alleghany, Buncombe and Avery counties.
6. North Carolina State University will receive a $150,000 grant to equip and operate a program to examine air emissions from human sources the impact of those emissions on water quality.
7. Ducks Unlimited will receive $125,000 to restore 593 acres of wetlands on the Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Lands in Wake, Durham, and Granville counties.
8. The Audubon Society of North Carolina will get a $100,000 grant to acquire and permanently protect 1,400 acres of wetlands and the adjacent upland buffer in Warwick Mill Bay on the Lumber River Basin.
9. The North Carolina Coastal Federation will receive $100,000 to reduce stormwater runoff and restore water quality in the Cape Fear River Basin.
10. The Buncombe County Soil & Water Conservation District will receive a grant of $90,000 to purchase 27 acres on the Pisgah Center campus for permanent Conservation.
11. The Tar River Land Conservancy will receive a grant of $75,000 to acquire conservation easements protecting 115 acres on Fishing Creek, part of the Tar Pamlico River Basin.
12. The Carolina Land & Lakes Resource Conservation & Development Council will receive a grant of $40,000 to treat stormwater runoff on the Western Piedmont Community College campus.
13. The Pamlico Tar River Foundation will receive a grant of $50,000 to improve and protect Holly Creek and surround wetlands near the Edgecombe Community College campus.
14. The Piedmont Conservation Council will receive a grant of $50,000 to design and install a demonstration green roof on the Durham County Agricultural Building.
2010 Grant Recipients
1. The North Carolina Foundation for Soil & Water Conservation was awarded a grant of $500,000 to close inactive animal waste lagoons.
2. The Nature Conservancy was awarded a grant of $450,000 to acquire a conservation easement on the Pinch Gut Ridge tract in the headwaters of the Lockwoods Folly River in Brunswick County.
3. The North Carolina Coastal Land Trust received a grant of $351,500 to purchase conservation and farm easements in Carteret County near Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.
4. Ducks Unlimited was awarded a $200,000 grant to restore 974 acres of managed wetlands on the Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge.
5. The North Carolina Division of Soil & Water Conservation received a $125,000 grant to treat storm water in 20 counties in the EEG priority river basins.
6. The Triangle Land Conservancy was awarded $80,000 to purchase 803 acres of wetlands, prime wildlife habitat and bottomland hardwood forest along the Neuse River in Johnston County.
7. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission was awarded $80,000 to maintain and establish vegetative buffers on agricultural fields to demonstrate enhancement of water quality and biodiversity in the Cape Fear Watershed.
8. The Blue Ridge Conservancy was awarded a grant of $70,000 to permanently protect 17 miles of mountain streams in Ashe County to be managed by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission as part of Pond Mountain Game Lands.
9. The North Carolina Coastal Federation received a $70,000 grant to treat stormwater and develop measures to improve water quality in southeastern North Carolina.
10. The North Carolina Zoological Society was awarded a $70,000 grant to purchase a conservation easement in Halifax County adjoining the Sylvan Heights waterfowl park.
2009 Grant Recipients
1. The North Carolina Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation has been awarded a grant of $450,000 to close inactive hog waste lagoons and ensure proper management of animal waste.
2. Ducks Unlimited will receive a $375,000 grant to protect 300 acres of watershed and game lands in Bladen County.
3. The North Carolina Zoological Society was awarded a $375,000 grant to protect 236 acres of forested wetlands in Halifax County.
4. The Blue Ridge Forever coalition, a group of 10 land trusts in western North Carolina, was awarded a $375,000 grant to protect headwater streams through conservation easements and purchases and conveyances to the State Parks system.
5. The Nature Conservancy has been awarded $150,000 to protect 81 acres of riparian buffer along the Black River in Sampson County.
6. The Tar River Land Conservancy will receive a $80,000 grant to preserve 388 acres of stream buffers, floodplain wetlands, and agricultural lands along 7,800 feet of Fishing Creek in Edgecombe County.
7. The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee has been awarded a $55,000 grant to protect natural areas and water quality in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon, and Swain Counties.
8. The Piedmont Land Conservancy has been awarded a $50,000 grant to acquire conservation easements to protect the Haw River in Alamance County.
9. The Pamlico-Tar River Foundation has been awarded a $50,000 grant to improve water quality for the Meeting House Branch and Hardee Creek watersheds in Pitt County.
10. The Catawba Lands Conservancy has been awarded a $45,000 grant to protect 204 acres in Lincoln County.
2008 Grant Recipients
1. N.C. Foundation for Soil & Water Conservation won a grant of $500,000 to close inactive hog waste lagoons. Using previous grants, the Foundation has closed 120 inactive lagoons and started waste management and water quality projects.
2. The Nature Conservancy was awarded $325,000 to preserve almost 960 acres of sensitive wetlands in the Onslow Bight landscape near Camp Lejeune.
3. Ducks Unlimited, in conjunction with the N. C. Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation, was awarded $250,000 to continue its Sound CARE initiative to restore approximately 80 acres of wetlands in Sampson County.
4. The Triangle Land Conservancy has been awarded $180,000 to protect riparian corridors in the Neuse River Basin in Johnston County.
5. The North Carolina Coastal Land Trust and the Greene County and Sampson County Soil and Water Conservation Districts received $200,000 to protect 233 acres of wetlands in the Cape Fear and Neuse River basins.
6. The North Carolina Coastal Federation won $200,000 to reduce storm water pollution in Brunswick, New Hanover, Carteret, and Onslow Counties.
7. North Carolina State University was awarded $100,000 to work with North Carolina famers on the use of field borders to improve quail and songbird habitat.
8. The Environmental Education Fund won a grant of $15,000 to expand the “It’s Our Water” program to include student field testing of local water sources. “It’s Our Water” is a five week North Carolina specific environmental science curriculum.
2007 Grant Recipients
1. Ducks Unlimited was awarded $222,750 to continue its Sound CARE initiative to restore approximately 80 acres of wetlands in the Black River watershed in Sampson County.
2. The Nature Conservancy received a grant of $350,000 to preserve almost 450 acres of sensitive wetlands in the White Oak River basin in Onslow County.
3. New River Foundation won a grant of $43,668 to restore and monitor water quality in the Henderson Green Watershed on the New River in Onslow County.
4. North Carolina Coastal Land Trust and the North Carolina Coastal Federation won a joint grant totaling $250,000 to fund the Cape Fear Arch Water Quality Initiative to develop water conservation plans for the entire Cape Fear region
.
5. NC Foundation for Soil & Water Conservation won a grant of $500,000 to close inactive hog waste lagoons.
6. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission was awarded $308,000 to install field borders and buffers on swine farms in eastern North Carolina to help improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat.
7. North Carolina Zoological Society received $170,000 to restore wetlands and create an environmental education center at the Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park & Eco-Center in Halifax County.
2006 Grant Recipients
1. NC Foundation for Soil & Water Conservation Districts was awarded a grant of $500,000 to close inactive hog waste lagoons and ensure proper management of animal waste.
2.Ducks Unlimited received $475,000 to restore, enhance and protect 900 acres of wetlands in Hyde, Pasquotank, and Halifax counties as part of its Sound CARE Initiative aimed at protecting 22,000 acres of wetland habitat in North Carolina.
3. North Carolina Coastal Federation received $410,000 to create oyster habitat, restore shorelines and salt marshes and construct an oyster shell loading pier in Onslow County.
2005 Grant Recipients
1. The Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center at North Carolina State University was awarded $1,246,629 to help give farmers access to two technologies that have passed the environmental performance standards set under the Smithfield Agreement.
2. Ducks Unlimited, Inc. was awarded $400,000 toward its Sound CARE Initiative, a project designed to protect, restore and enhance 22,000 acres of wetland habitat in North Carolina.
3. Eno River Association was awarded $33,900 to protect drinking water and endangered species habitat by conserving, restoring and actively managing tracts of land along the Eno River and Penny's Bend Nature Preserve.
4. North Carolina Coastal Federation was awarded $310,000 to restore bottomland hardwood forest, tidal salt marsh, wetlands and streams within the White Oak River Basin and to improve water quality and wildlife habitat, help local fishermen by improving shellfish areas, and engage community and student volunteers.
5. NC Foundation for Soil & Water Conservation Districts was awarded $500,000 to continue its work in closing inactive hog waste lagoons and implementing other animal waste management and water quality projects.
2004 Grant Recipients
1. Cape Fear Resource Conservation & Development was awarded $25,000 for agronomic evaluation of granulated ash fertilizer derived from swine and poultry manure.
2. Ducks Unlimited, Inc. was awarded $413,000 to restore 741 acres of wetlands at Fort Bragg in Cumberland and Hoke Counties, Roanoke Wetlands Game Land in Martin County and Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge in Bertie County.
3. Environmental Education Fund was awarded $25,000 to train at least 50 Earth and Environmental Science High School Teachers to use the newly developed environmental science curriculum, “It’s Our Water”.
4. North Carolina Coastal Land Trust was awarded $20,000 to update and develop a riparian corridor conservation plan for a section of the Lower Tar River, east of Greenville in Pitt and Beaumont counties.
5. Tar River Land Conservancy was awarded $20,000 to develop and/or update the riparian corridor conservation plans for Swift and Fishing Creeks in Nash, Halifax, Warren and Edgecombe counties through GIS analysis, acquisition of recent satellite imagery and on-site condition assessment.
6. North Carolina Environmental Defense was awarded $60,000 to augment a comprehensive strategy for maintenance and restoration of the Albemarle Sound Watershed.
7. NC Foundation for Soil & Water Conservation Districts was awarded $500,000 for inactive lagoon closures and programs to properly manage animal wastes and protect water quality.
8. North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission was awarded $178,000 to demonstrate the latest buffer technology and document the effectiveness of buffers to improve water quality and increase wildlife populations.
9. Pamlico-Tar River Foundation was awarded $57,000 for long-term water quality monitoring in the Upper and Middle Tar River Basins and to train volunteers to conduct water quality sampling and thereafter provide reliable data to town and county planners for future environmental planning.
2003 Grant Recipients
1. Cape Fear River Assembly was awarded $200,000 to improve the environmental quality of the Cape Fear River Basin through measurement, analysis and restoration of water quality and promotion of long-term environmental protection of water resources.
2. Green Trust Alliance, LLC was awarded $499,750 to restore, enhance and protect 364 acres of wetlands in the Lower Neuse River Basin.
3. North Carolina Coastal Land Trust was awarded $500,000 to acquire riparian buffers along the Lower Neuse River for the Dover Bay tract and the Hughes tract, located in Upper Broad Creek and Brice’s Creek.
4. NC Foundation for Soil & Water Conservation Districts was awarded $500,000 to continue its lagoon closure program and to provide grants to various conservation districts throughout the state.
5. Save Our State (Sustainable North Carolina) was awarded $340,000 to construct and test a closed loop swine waste management system at Little Creek Farms.
2002 Grant Recipients
1. Cape Fear River Assembly was awarded $500,000 to collect and analyze water quality data and benthic and fish samples to create a comprehensive database that better defines the conditions of the Cape Fear River Basin.
2. City of Jacksonville Sturgeon Bay Initiative was awarded $500,000 to restore the water quality in the New River in Onslow County by the purchase of easements, construction of wetlands, installation of aeration devices and implementation of an education program.
3. North Carolina Coastal Land Trust was awarded $500,000 for acquisition and stewardship of conservation easements on Ward Creek tract in Brunswick County, Sea Gate Woods tract in Carteret County and Cool Springs tract in Craven County.
4. NC Foundation for Soil & Water Conservation Districts was awarded $500,000 to implement inactive lagoon closures for local soil and water conservation districts throughout the state.
5. NC Green Power was awarded $500,000 for a statewide advertising and communications campaign to implement a renewable energy program in North Carolina, maximize the amount of investment and numbers of participants in renewable generation, and improve the quality of the environment.
See Reports From Grant Recipients