North Carolina environmental advocates are worried about the flurry of executive orders that President Donald Trump signed within hours of returning to the White House this week.
The mandates include removing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement — a move that reprises an action from Trump’s first term — and declaring a “national energy emergency.“
The initial U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement — a landmark international pact that aims to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius — lasted only four months. Although Trump declared his intentions in 2017, the formalities didn’t occur until late 2020. The U.S. reentered the accord during the Biden administration in 2021.
During that brief period, however, the withdrawal harmed international climate diplomacy and tarred the U.S.’s reputation on the world stage, TIME reported.
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Advocates voiced concerns about the latest action and its consequences for North Carolina and the U.S., as well as the global implications.
North Carolina League of Conservation Voters Director of Governmental Relations Dan Crawford (Photo: nclcv.org)
“That puts us up there with countries like Libya and Iran, that have not joined the Paris Accords, and that’s usually a list that we don’t want to be part of,” North Carolina League of Conservation Voters governmental relations director Dan Crawford said. “The United States has led by example, and that’s not going to happen anymore.”
Some environmental advocates are questioning the legality of Trump’s actions — whether he’s able to take such drastic measures on the environmental front.
Even so, there’s worry over the impacts.
“Though the legal ground he stands upon is shaky, the damage this administration could do to our environment and our children’s future over the next four years is unspeakable,” Erin Carey, the North Carolina Sierra Club’s state conservation policy director, said in a statement. “For those of us who value clean air, clean water, and a livable planet for future generations, Monday, Jan. 20, was a dark and frightening moment.”
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Trump’s other environment-oriented executive orders target, among other things, deemphasizing the development of electric vehicles and encouraging fossil fuel drilling, freezing environmental protections rules, and seeking to prohibit offshore wind projects.
He’s also reversed a series of orders adopted by the Biden administration that incorporated environmental justice into federal policymaking — measures that were lauded by advocates in the environmental community.
Erin Carey (Courtesy photo)
“Trump’s executive orders read like an industry fever dream: no protections, no limits, no rules,” Carey said.
Climate issues are taking center stage in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene wreaked catastrophic damage in western North Carolina at the end of last September.
Recovery efforts are still underway, with natural disaster aid and oversight as top priorities for the state legislature’s 2025 session.
Extreme weather events associated with climate change and their destructive impacts have occurred in other portions of the country in recent weeks including drought- and wind-driven fires in Southern California and the ongoing record cold in parts of the southern U.S.
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“We need to be the leaders on clean energy. We need to be the leaders facing climate change,” Crawford said. “Scientists have warned and warned and warned us that we need to do something.”
Trump is scheduled to visit the hurricane-damaged western portion of the state on Friday. Specific details around the trip have not been released as of Thursday midday, but Buncombe County officials warned of “significant traffic impacts” to the Asheville area, according to the Asheville Citizen Times.
Jen Duggan, executive director of the Environmental Integrity Project, said the executive orders will “expose Americans to more dangerous air and water pollution and fuel climate catastrophes.”
From an economic standpoint, the mandates benefit large corporations while hurting individuals, she added.
“While these orders do nothing to address voter concerns about cost-of-living affordability, they will increase already astronomical profits for fossil fuel companies at the expense of everyday Americans,” Duggan said.
Bill Belichick scored a major recruiting victory as college football’s early signing period started Wednesday by convincing four-star defensive tackle recruit Vodney Cleveland to flip his commitment from Texas to North Carolina.
The Tar Heels had reportedly been attempting to flip Cleveland for months, and Belichick and his staff pulled it off on early National Signing Day.
The 6-foot-3-inch, 305-pound Cleveland played high school football at A.H. Parker high school in Birmingham, Ala. According to ESPN, Cleveland is the No. 228 overall prospect in his recruiting class, and the No. 17 player at his position.
North Carolina is the third program Cleveland has committed to in the recruiting process. He had previously committed to Alabama before picking Texas in June. Now with North Carolina, he is considered a big piece to Belichick’s 2026 class.
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Cleveland is one of 12 four-star recruits in North Carolina’s 2026 class so far, according to ESPN. The new class should provide some improved talent for a Tar Heel team that finished 4-8 in Belichick’s first season as head coach.
Wednesday was the first National Signing Day for the Class of 2026, marking the first opportunity for high school prospects to lock up scholarships and sign financial aid agreements.
Kevin Dillon can be reached at kevin.dilon@globe.com. Follow him on X @ByKevinDillon.
A wintry mix is set to impact the Triangle and areas to the north on Friday, with snow and ice possible early in the day before transitioning to all rain by the afternoon. The system could end as a mix again by evening.
Snow accumulation is expected to be around an inch or less, with minor ice potential north of the Triangle during the morning hours.
The wintry mix will likely create slow and messy commutes Friday morning, with rain continuing through the afternoon. Be prepared for tricky travel conditions.
Here’s a timeline for Friday’s weather:
4 a.m.: Snow showers and a wintry mix begin.
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10 a.m.: Transition to a mix of rain, snow, and wet conditions.
12 p.m.: Rain takes over, melting any snow or slush.
Evening: Lingering showers possible.
Looking ahead, the 7-day forecast shows chilly temperatures sticking around:
Wednesday: Bright and chilly, with highs in the upper 40s and lows in the upper 20s.
Thursday: Mostly cloudy, highs in the low 50s, lows in the low 30s.
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Friday: First Alert Day. Wintry mix transitioning to cold rain, with highs in the upper 30s and lows in the low 30s.
Saturday: Cloudy with isolated showers, highs in the mid to upper 40s, and lows in the upper 20s.
Sunday: Partly cloudy, highs in the upper 40s, and lows in the low 30s.
Monday: Partly cloudy, highs in the low 40s, and lows in the low 20s.
Tuesday: Chilly, with highs in the mid-40s and lows in the low 30s.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WLOS) — Michael Whatley, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, is now officially in the running for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina.
On Tuesday, Dec. 2, Whatley shared photos of himself filing at the State Board of Elections via his “Michael Whatley for Senate” Facebook page.
“It’s official! I am running for Senate to fight for every family across North Carolina,” the post said. “I am honored to have President Trump’s endorsement and will work every day to create jobs, raise wages, lower costs and keep our communities safe.
RNC CHAIR MICHAEL WHATLEY ANNOUNCES BID FOR NORTH CAROLINA’S OPEN SENATE SEAT
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Whatley served as the chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) from March 2024 to August 2025 before resigning to pursue the Senate seat.
In July, President Donald Trump announced his official endorsement of Whatley. In a post on Truth Social, Trump expressed his support for Whatley, calling him “one of the most capable executives in our country.”
“So, should Michael Whatley run for the Senate, please let this notification represent my complete and total endorsement,” Trump wrote in the July 2025 post.
TRUMP ENDORSES MICHAEL WHATLEY FOR NORTH CAROLINA SENATE SEAT IN 2026
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Trump appointed Whatley to oversee recovery efforts throughout western North Carolina. During a visit to western North Carolina in January 2025, Trump said Whatley’s role as a hurricane recovery “czar” would be to help push recovery forward and get money to the region.
In September, residents and business owners from Black Mountain and Swannanoa held a press conference where they criticized Whatley, claiming they had not seen any efforts from him.
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Read more: ‘OUR NEEDS ARE URGENT’: WNC RESIDENTS SAY MICHAEL WHATLEY ISN’T HELPING AFTER HELENE
Jonathan Felts, Michael Whatley’s spokesperson for his Senate campaign, sent News 13 the following statement after this press conference:
“While Roy Cooper botched multiple hurricane responses because he was too distracted freeing violent criminals to ravage our streets, Michael Whatley stepped in with President Trump to fix the Cooper-Biden hurricane disaster. It’s only because of President Trump and Michael Whatley that billions – including over $220 million direct for hurricane recovery – has been secured for the citizens of North Carolina that Roy Cooper betrayed and failed as Governor.”
FILING OPENS FOR 2026 NC ELECTION CANDIDATES, INCLUDING HIGH-PROFILE SENATE RACE
Whatley will face off against former Gov. Roy Cooper in the race for North Carolina’s open Senate seat in 2026. This comes after Republican Sen. Thom Tillis announced in June that he will not seek re-election.
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A Democrat has not won a U.S. Senate election in North Carolina since 2008.
As of Tuesday evening, the former Democratic governor has not yet officially filed his candidacy.
