Today NC WARN sent a second letter to Governor McCrory, following up on the letter we and AARP NC sent on January 4. We are calling on him to oppose Senate Bill 10 and to recuse himself from appointments to the NC Utilities Commission.
Climate Change: No Breakthroughs Needed, Mr. President — Huffington Post
In his recent New Republic interview, President Obama said we “need some big technological breakthrough” to tackle climate change. Mr. President — our nation already has the technologies to protect the climate while advancing prosperity. Your National Renewable Energy Laboratory showed just last June how to produce 80 to 90 percent of America’s electricity from proven, reliable and increasingly competitive renewable sources like the sun and wind.
Doing the math on Duke’s rate hike – Charlotte Observer
Duke Energy Carolinas filed 5,012 pages of written testimony, data analyses and appendices Monday in support of its request for an overall 9.7 percent North Carolina rate hike. Buried in all those numbers is one that’s most relevant to most customers: 14 percent. That’s the increase the majority of residential customers are being asked to pay.
Duke Energy Monopoly Must Use Wasted Resource Instead of Building Power Plants, says Watchdog Group — News Release from NC WARN
Recent advances in a decades-old energy-saving technology could allow thousands of North Carolina facilities such as grocery stores, schools and hospitals to save over 30 percent of their annual energy usage. The energy savings from combined heat and power (CHP) at facilities in North Carolina could be roughly equal to the electricity from ten large power plants.
View the report
Listen to press conference audio
Watchdog group wants probe of Duke Energy negotiations – Charlotte Business Journal
Did Duke CEO and Top Regulator Break the Law by Cutting Deal on Merger Scandal? – News Release from NC WARN
Last week the Charlotte Observer published an interview in which Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers said he had resolved the major scandal following his acquisition of Progress Energy by personally negotiating the settlement with NC Utilities Commission Chairman Ed Finley. Today NC WARN called on state Attorney General Roy Cooper to investigate that negotiation, which we believe was an unlawful communication that led to a multi-billion dollar miscarriage of justice against North Carolina’s electricity customers.
Group claims Duke Energy’s talks with state regulators were improper – Charlotte Observer
Jim Rogers: Duke Energy merger with Progress was worth it – Charlotte Observer
Duke Energy chief executive Jim Rogers traces the roots of a state investigation into the Duke-Progress Energy merger to differences in how regulators viewed the $32 billion deal… Rogers said he personally negotiated the settlement terms with commission Chairman Edward Finley, after Duke’s board vetted them, and with the help of current Duke and former Progress director James Hyler. Both he and Finley wanted to resolve the issue, he said.
How Duke Energy can change the climate game – News & Observer
Op-Ed by Jim Warren, NC WARN. North Carolina has a unique opportunity and duty to help avert runaway climate change and repair our wounded democracy. Because the world’s second-largest electricity generator, Duke Energy, is headquartered here, North Carolina can make a huge difference – one that also makes economic sense.
McCrory Could Re-shape NC Utilities Regulation – WFAE
Governor Pat McCrory has been busy in recent weeks filling his cabinet and top staff positions. And in at least three cases he’s appointed former colleagues from his 28 years working at Duke Energy. That’s led some to worry McCrory will follow the same pattern when he turns his attention to four impending vacancies at the North Carolina Utilities Commission, which is Duke Energy’s primary regulator in the state.