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Jim Warren

Fracking may cook the planet. But who’s listening? — The News & Observer

Jim Warren, the executive director of the Durham-based consumer advocacy group NC Warn, seems these days like a frantic lead character from a 1950s science fiction movie. He has seen an invisible gas being released by powerful corporations that is endangering the planet — but no one will listen to him. He’s not surprised that the corporations – especially Duke Energy – don’t want to believe him. But he’s mystified that news outlets that usually would pounce on such news are oddly indifferent.

‘Sunny day flooding’ worsens at NC beaches — a sign sea rise is decades too soon, studies say — News & Observer

Living in cities threatened by sea-level rise could be like living near an active volcano, according to NOAA oceanographer William Sweet. Some parts of the Earth are seeing sea levels rise far beyond average, and it’s just a waiting game before some areas are inundated with sea water, studies show. The East Coast of the U.S. is experiencing “sunny day flooding” that scientists didn’t expect for decades yet.

“Competitive Energy” Bill Falls Short of North Carolina’s Needs – News Release from Faith in Solar

An alliance of diverse North Carolina faith leaders today questions Duke Energy and the NC General Assembly for having placed strict limits on solar energy development at precisely the time that dramatic clean energy progress is needed to address the climate crisis. Telling the unvarnished truth about the effect of last year’s energy bill on solar progress in our state, they call for strong and decisive action.

N.C. Supreme Court To Hear Appeal Over Church Solar Project – WFAE

The state Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday on whether it’s legal for anyone other than a public utility to sell electricity in North Carolina. The case began in 2015 when the environmental group NC WARN installed solar panels on a Greensboro church rooftop, then began selling electricity to the church. NC WARN notified state regulators immediately, setting the stage for a legal challenge to the state’s ban on so-called “third-party” sales of electricity.  

Before state Supreme Court, Duke Energy lawyer calls NC WARN’s solar agreement with church “almost exploitative” — The Progressive Pulse

The sun has risen and set nearly 1,100 times since NC WARN installed a small solar power system on the roof of Faith Community Church in Greensboro. And since that time in May 2015, the Durham-based environmental nonprofit has been fined $60,000 by the NC Utilities Commission — the penalty was later rescinded — and has taken its case to the Court of Appeals, which ruled 2–1 against NC WARN. The group appealed and today argued before the state’s highest court that it should be allowed to provide solar energy to the church.
More media coverage

Court sees if church solar panels break electricity monopoly — The Washington Post

North Carolina’s highest court is taking up a case that could force new competition on the state’s electricity monopolies. The state Supreme Court on Tuesday will consider the Utilities Commission’s decision to fine clean-energy advocacy group NC WARN for putting solar panels on a Greensboro church’s rooftop and then charging it below-market rates for power.

The oceans’ circulation hasn’t been this sluggish in 1,000 years. That’s bad news. — The Washington Post

The Atlantic Ocean circulation that carries warmth into the Northern Hemisphere’s high latitudes is slowing down because of climate change, a team of scientists asserted Wednesday, suggesting one of the most feared consequences is already coming to pass. The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation has declined in strength by 15 percent since the mid-20th century to a “new record low,” the scientists conclude in a peer-reviewed study published in the journal Nature. That’s a decrease of 3 million cubic meters of water per second, the equivalent of nearly 15 Amazon rivers.