Media lawyers vetted the message; News directors and editors must put Governor on record about aligning with Duke Energy instead of scientists, solar power companies
Scores of scientists and solar power companies, along with thousands of other North Carolinians, have pressed for his genuine action instead of pretense. Thousands of people displaced by past hurricanes keep begging for his help – while dreading the next super-storm.
But for years, Gov. Roy Cooper has sided with Duke Energy leaders’ massive and Orwellian expansion of climate-wrecking fracked gas and attacks on solar competition.
In short, Duke Energy is making the climate crisis worse and worse, and Gov. Roy Cooper needs to stop pretending the opposite is true.
North Carolina deserves truth-telling and an honest debate over our climate and energy future. Today, NC WARN launched a statewide TV, digital and print ad campaign to escalate statewide pressure for the Governor to move beyond pretense at this critical time.
Attorneys for corporate media outlets vetted our facts. Now, editors and news directors must allow their journalists to move past the corporate-government greenwashing and put Cooper on record: Does he realize Duke Energy’s latest (Pro-) Carbon Plan to greatly expand fossil fuels for decades directly clashes with climate scientists and the role he covets as a climate leader?
Also, why does Cooper’s Utilities Commission consistently rubber-stamp Duke Energy’s distortions and secrecy, as with its previous (Pro-) Carbon Plan and attacks on solar net metering? Despite record-breaking opposition by businesses and nonprofits, the UC protected Duke officials by limiting the issues, experts and attorneys they had to face in both cases.
NC WARN’s core TV-online ads are hard-hitting by necessity: The first leads with the question, “Is Roy Cooper a Climate Change Pretender?” The second features children harmed by hurricanes pleading for genuine leadership by Gov. Cooper.
For ten years now, Duke Energy has been greatly expanding fossil fuels and suppressing local and large-scale solar. A large bipartisan majority of North Carolinians want clean power and competition, and still our governor has the gall to support the corporate greenwashing – gas-lighting people into thinking North Carolina is on the right climate track.
For 35 years, NC WARN has remained a frequent and trusted news source. But our efforts to drive the fracked gas and solar suppression into the open have been dampened by Duke Energy’s pervasive influence over state decision-makers.
We insist on honest, clear debate over critical public issues. If either Duke Energy or Gov. Cooper thinks we’re wrong, neither has made the case. Instead, both rely on persistent propaganda and influence to distort and suppress honest debate.
NC WARN proved the success of Duke’s greenwashing with a statewide poll showing most of the public think Duke Energy is on the right track – and with a federal complaint that WUNC radio runs deceptive Duke ads while preventing its fine reporters from spelling out the dangerous truth about expanding methane gas and stifling the growth of renewable power.
As we told Cooper in a September 20 letter, we’d much prefer to praise him. But if he really seeks a role in national government – as reported – then he must use his authority and his strong public voice to come clean with the public and build pressure for Duke Energy leaders to stop expanding fossil fuels and stifling clean energy competition, thus help avert climate-social-economic chaos.
People are hurting from repeated climate disasters and the inability of state government to help them recover. Our solar power industry is hurting from Duke’s attacks on net metering rules. And North Carolina as a whole is hurting – for some real democracy instead of deference to corporate influence and brainwashing.
