A recent poll shows that 78 percent of North Carolina voters are tired of suffering under the rate-hiking, anti-competitive control of Duke Energy and its subsidiary Progress Energy.
Duke/Kochs' Control of Government
Duke Energy and others in the energy industry consistently use deceptive public relations – and millions of customer dollars – to distort the debate over important decisions. Duke’s control over NC state government is significant. We must face this “inconvenient truth” in order to make the shift to clean, safe energy. This corporate influence has, in the words of Dr. James Hansen, wounded our democracy.
Particularly egregious are efforts by Duke, the Koch brothers and other industry powers to slow the growth of solar energy and, in North Carolina, to prevent competition from third-party providers of no-upfront-cost solar deals that put solar energy within reach of many more homeowners and businesses. Another good example of corporate power is the passage in some states of Construction Work in Progress laws that allow utilities to charge customers in advance for building expensive new plants that aren’t even needed.
In 2015, Duke Energy, the Koch Brothers and others successfully kept the Energy Freedom bill bottled up in committee at the NC legislature. The bill would have opened up NC to third-party solar deals. Read about our 2015 Duke Hates Solar campaign in support of the bill.
Read about our Solar Freedom project at Faith Community Church in Greensboro — a test case in the state’s ban on third-party sales of electricity.
Direct Appeals for Dialogue with Duke Energy
NC WARN has repeatedly reached out to Duke Energy executives, seeking to collaborate with them on moving away from obstructionism and toward a clean energy future. A few examples are listed here.
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Regulators Bless Duke’s Overcharging Strategy, Discriminatory Rates, and Backroom Dealmaking — News Release from NC WARN
By approving another five percent rate hike with an order released last night, the NC Utilities Commission continued its support for Duke Energy’s business model of building dirty power plants and padding profits by gouging households and small businesses.
How Duke fleeced Florida customers for $1.5 billion — WTSP News 10 (Tampa)
On Thursday, Duke Energy Florida (formerly Progress Energy) announced that the company would pull the plug on its future Levy Co. nuclear plant. And the money the company has been collecting from customers for years — and will continue to collect until 2018 — will go toward Duke Energy’s expenses and profits.
Duke Energy Devouring NC: Who’s Really Governing the State?
Video: NC WARN Executive Director Jim Warren explains Gov. Pat McCrory’s obvious conflict of interest in making Utilities Commission appointments and how, with Senate Bill 10, the deck could be getting stacked in Duke Energy’s favor.
Is NC Governor a Duke Energy Millionaire? – News Release from NC WARN
Ad campaign presses Pat McCrory to come clean about Duke holdings – and step away from appointing regulators who will judge the need for billions in new power plants
Does Governor McCrory have conflict of interest? – ABC 11
In February, Governor Pat McCrory filled out a 2012 statement of economic interest that shows he has a meaningful financial stake in Duke Energy worth at least $10,000. The form did not require him to be more specific.
Watchdog group concerned over McCrory regulating Duke Energy – WSOC Charlotte
NC Warn, an energy watchdog group, told Eyewitness News that Gov. Pat McCrory should have no involvement regulating Duke Energy.
Watchdog asks Gov. McCrory to disclose value of Duke Energy stock holdings – Facing South
Following a Facing South report that found North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) holds significant amounts of Duke Energy stock, a watchdog group sent him a letter asking him to disclose its exact value — and reiterated its call that he therefore recuse himself from appointing anyone to the state Utilities Commission.
Is Governor still profiting from Duke Energy as he plans to replace its regulators?
NC WARN sent this letter to Governor Pat McCrory today after learning from his Statement of Economic Interest that he owns stock in Duke Energy.
See his latest SEI filing.
See our previous letters to Governor McCrory:
January 4, 2013 (with AARP NC)
February 11, 2013
Will Gov. McCrory help his friend Duke Energy capture the N.C. Utility Commission? — Facing South
This is a critical moment for North Carolina’s energy future, as a packed public hearing held in Raleigh this week showed — and there are growing concerns that the politician who might get to make key decisions about it has significant conflicts of interest.