The 13th HKonJ People's Assembly and Moral March took place Feb. 9th in Raleigh - we were there, we marched, and we spoke with environmental justice activists and community members about the morality of sound environmental policy, the excitement surrounding the Green New Deal and much more.

Five years after the historic Duke Energy Dan River coal ash spill highlighted how irresponsibly Duke was storing the dangerous substance, many families in North Carolina have yet to see coal ash in their communities cleaned up. The NC Department of Environmental Quality is in the process of deciding whether or not Duke will be required to move coal ash from unlined, open-air pits near major waterways and into dry, lined landfills safe from harm. Residents dealing with this issue for years let their voices be heard in a series of public meetings last month. We attended the final in Belmont, NC -- here's what folks had to say.

Emotions boiled over at a recent public information session on coal ash put on by the NC Department of Environmental Quality as they decide whether to force Duke Energy to remove coal ash from its dangerous unlined storage pits. We spoke with reporter Lisa Sorg and NC Sen. Vickie Sawyer (R-Iredell) about the tense event on Lake Norman.

Plus, an interview with William J. Barber, III on the climate justice movement, his work with the Climate Reality Project, and what it's like sitting on the NC Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board.

Allow us to reintroduce ourselves. 2019 is here, and The Dirt has a new FM broadcast home, a new schedule and we're giving a brief glimpse of the new content coming this year. Plus, a mystery guest joins to talk about the partial federal government shutdown and how it's impacting North Carolina.

Episode 15 of The Dirt digs into the most sustainable Christmas tree traditions and previews 2019 in the newly constituted North Carolina General Assembly. And what does the Civil Rights Act of 1964 have to do with the pollution-heavy hog industry?

Plus, an interview with Molly Murphy and Hannah Hearn of Working Films – a national organization based in Wilmington, NC that is using film to advance social justice and environmental protection.

Host Brian Powell discusses the 2018 midterm elections with NC Conservation Network Policy Director Grady McCallie. We dig into the environmental concerns at play on Election Day and look ahead to a lame duck legislative session looming before the end of the year. Plus, Upper Neuse Riverkeeper Matthew Starr discusses a monstrous invasive species showing up along the Carolina coast.

The Dirt traveled to Goldsboro, North Carolina to check in with communities there as the Neuse River flood began to peak in the wake of Hurricane Florence

Episode 14 of The Dirt takes a look back at the youth climate march in Washington, digs into yet another special session from the North Carolina General Assembly and confronts a new reality: electric scooters everywhere.

Plus – DeWayne Barton, founder and CEO of Hood Huggers International, talks about environmental justice and gentrification in Asheville and the role poetry and art play in his work.

Episode 13 of The Dirt digs into the latest environmental news from the North Carolina General Assembly, including the NC Farm Act, which shields a global pork producer from consequences for nuisances produced by its massive factory hog operations.

Plus - it’s been one year since the public learned about GenX contamination in the Cape Fear and Chemours officials are finally facing the public.

And there’s a new pipeline in town. What is the Mountain Valley Pipeline and how could it impact North Carolina?

Episode 12 of The Dirt digs into the new session of the North Carolina General Assembly and a GenX bill that threatens to undermine the state’s environmental enforcers. Plus – EPA administrator Scott Pruitt is holding a summit on emerging contaminants and clashing with the press – a panel discusses what we can expect to come from it. The episode also features an interview with NRDC’s Sujatha Bergen about a toxic paint stripping product being sold at Lowe’s. And NC DEQ Secretary Michael Regan introduces the new Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board – but what impact will it really have?