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John Skvarla, the personable and accomplished new secretary of the state’s environmental-protection agency, has been dodging the question of just what he thinks about global warming. Perhaps the fact that he suggests it’s still an open question provides the answer.

But here’s a more definitive clue.

John Skvarla, the new head of the state’s environmental protection department, continues to make environmentalists a little nervous.

On Tuesday, he issued a mission statement cautioning that environmental science “contains a diversity of opinion” and that “all public programs and scientific conclusions must be reflective of input from a variety of legitimate, diverse and thoughtful perspectives.”

The statement comes after comments Skvarla has made in news media interviews indicating he believes climate change is a controversy that remains unsettled. Although most scientists think that it is, there are some who dispute that there is global warming or, if there is, that it isn’t caused by human activity.

The man Gov.-elect Pat McCrory appointed to run the state's environmental agency isn't convinced about global warming. And he’s anxious to move the needle back from what he sees as over-regulation toward what he promises will be a middle ground that protects the environment without hindering economic growth. Meet John Skvarla here.

More political news:

--President Obama cuts short his vacation with automatic budget cuts looming.

--More than 300 shipyard workers in North Carolina could stop loading and unloading cargo ships as of midnight Saturday, the result of stalled contract talks that threaten to idle more than 14,500 dockworkers at 15 of the nation’s major shipping ports.

A small group of protestors chained themselves to revolving doors at a state office building in downtown Raleigh and blocked the entry for over an hour in an act of political theater the participants termed civil disobedience.

Raleigh and State Capitol police arrived with bolt cutters to break up the protest and initially cordoned off the area as a “crime scene.” But they left the demonstrators undisturbed until the group dispersed on it own at midday without incident. Read more here.

The state office that will help with fracking rules is undergoing a leadership change and a name change. 

Long-time state employee Tracy Davis has been promoted to lead the N.C. Division of Land Resources, part of the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources. 

Davis is a career staff member in the division's Land Quality section, and has worked for DENR for nearly 25 years. He replaces Jim Simons, who retired May 31. 

Under the new fracking law, the Division of Land Resources will  be called the Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources come Aug. 1.

The division will work for the new Mining and Energy Commission, one of the groups that will write rules for fracking.

Two things happened when Rep. Mitch Gillespie, a seven-term Republican from Marion, became the point man for environmental legislation in the House following the Republican takeover of the General Assembly last year.

First, he compiled a list of 10 regulatory bills the GOP caucus wanted to pass and stuck it in his pocket. Then put a target on the state's environmental agency. His list and his bull’s eye say something about the unabashed assault on regulations that Republicans in the General Assembly have taken this session. Read the full story here.

More political headlines:

--Maya Angelou visited Charlotte on Saturday for a women's luncheon and presented Gov. Bev Perdue with a lifetime achievement award.

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said Tuesday that he plans to start campaigning in North Carolina next week ahead of the state’s May 8 GOP presidential primary. The former House Speaker from Georgia talked by phone with Rob Christensen about his prospects, his differences with the other candidates, and his hopes for a brokered convention. Read the Q&A here.

In other news:

--The city of Charlotte has released dozens of pages of emails related to the Democratic National Convention in response to an Observer public records request – but most were heavily redacted, giving little or no insight into how the city is preparing for the convention. Officials cite security concerns. Read the full story here.

Lynn Holmes, the head of the state’s Division of Employment Security, is resigning effective April 15 to pursue new opportunities.

Holmes announced her resignation in an email to the division’s employees on Thursday. Her four-sentence resignation email said nothing more about her decision to depart. Read more here.

In other news from Friday:

--President Barack Obama's statement opposing the marriage amendment on the May 8 ballot drew praise from anti-amendment forces, who suggested it will help their cause. But supporters of the amendment said Obama has no business inserting himself in a state issue. Read more reaction the president's statement on the gay marriage amendment here.

Gov. Bev Perdue believes it is possible to safely drill for shale gas in North Carolina through a controversial practice known as fracking -- but she is not taking a stance on the issue until the state releases a full report Friday, her spokesman said.

The remarks came after the Democratic governor took a industry-led tour of fracking sites in Pennsylvania last week -- a trip that occurred without notice and came at the invitation of a fracking supporter.

Jon Romano, the governor's communications director, said Perdue's trip to Pennsylvania convinced her that fracking is possible in North Carolina. "She believes based on what she saw that it can be done safely," he said.

But Romano cautioned that her statement doesn't represent a full endorsement. He said Perdue is awaiting a N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources report on fracking -- expected to be released Friday -- before taking a formal stance on the issue.