The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) at its July business meeting adopted emergency and temporary rulemaking at White Lake in Bladen County that will require motorboats to travel perpendicular to the shore and at no wake speed within the restricted area at White Lake. See proposed rule text for 15A NCAC 10F .0304. NCWRC is accepting comments on this temporary rulemaking through Monday, September 23, 2024.
Since the recent revisions to the amendment for the restricted area at White Lake, there have been multiple concerns from the public that water recreationists who swim or operate non-motorized vessels in the restricted area would be subjected to severe hazards to boating and swimming safety if motorized vessels no longer are required to travel perpendicular to the shoreline while exiting or entering the restricted area.
Due to concerns with technological glitches during the August 20 virtual public hearing, the agency is holding a second hearing on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. using Zoom, a cloud-based video conferencing platform where callers can join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device. Pre-registration is required. Register and receive information on how to join the call.
Comments can also be submitted online through the NCWRC’s Comment Portal or by email to regulations@ncwildlife.org (please include name, county, and state of residence) or in writing by mail to NCWRC, Rulemaking Coordinator, 1701 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C 27699-1701.
For additional rulemaking information, visit the Wildlife Commission's proposed regulations page.