Debate over a controversial proposal on electricity rates ratcheted up this week with two environmental groups’ full-page newspaper ad asking the state Senate’s top-ranking Democrat, Dan Blue, to end his support for a Duke Energy bill and stop taking the company’s “dirty money.”The North Carolina Conservation Network was calling residents Monday, asking them to register their opposition to Senate Bill 559, which it described as a “blank check for Duke Energy.”
Duke Energy & State Regulators
NC WARN regularly challenges Duke Energy to make a rapid transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy and energy efficiency. We intervene at the NC Utilities Commission in cases involving Duke’s rate increases and 15-year Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs). And we have repeatedly reached out directly to the corporation’s executives, seeking to collaborate with them on finding ways to avert climate catastrophe. A few examples are listed here.
Related:
- Check out the new coalition: Energy Justice NC: End the Duke Monopoly
- Duke Energy page on Energy & Policy Institute website
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Duke Boosted Donations to Grease Ugly Bill — News Release from EJNC
A report out today from a coalition of 14 community and environmental justice organizations reveals that Duke Energy skewed its political campaign contributions last year in order to gain support from Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue and other lawmakers instrumental in reviewing what is now a highly controversial bill.
Legislators Should Reject Duke Energy Deception and Annual Rate Hike Bill — News Release from EJNC
Senate Bill 559 is a bait & switch for the rejected $13 billion grid scheme and $10 billion in coal ash costs – further proof that it’s time to end the Duke monopoly.
Critics challenge Duke Energy’s long-range plan. Will it make a difference this time? — Energy News Network
Every two years, critics blast Duke Energy’s long-term generation plan in North Carolina, decrying it for containing too much coal and gas and too little renewable power. Each time, regulators approve the company’s blueprint with few if any changes.
Cooper’s Appointments to Utilities Commission — News Release from EJNC
A coalition of 14 environmental justice groups today called on North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper to appoint members to the North Carolina Utilities Commission that do not have ties to the fossil fuel industry and will protect public health and promote clean energy.
N.C. Needs Energy Choice, Not Monopoly Control — Goldsboro Daily News
Op-Ed by Bobby Jones and Ayo Wilson. North Carolina’s electricity system is broken, and the only way to fix it is to end Duke Energy’s state-approved monopoly control. Based in Charlotte, Duke provides 90% of our state’s electricity. For too long, its executives have abused their monopoly privilege and the people of North Carolina have paid the price.
Pressure Builds against Duke Energy’s Long-range Plan for NC — News Release from NC WARN
A ruling is expected any day on a regulatory hearing that could determine if North Carolina will finally join growing global efforts to avert runaway climate chaos or allow Duke Energy to continue driving humanity toward the cliff.
It’s time to end Duke Energy’s monopoly in NC — Winston-Salem Journal
Op-Ed by Donna, Jean and Jim. Since 2016, Robeson County has seen three so-called “500-year floods” and other steady rains that have turned the Lumbee River – a lifeline for generations – into something people fear. Eastern communities are also suffering the storm of efforts by Duke Energy to push the dirty Atlantic Coast Pipeline through their communities. They’ve also been hit with repeated rate increases and toxic coal ash pollution while the utility blocks competition from cheaper, cleaner renewable energy solutions.
Duke Energy’s monopoly power faces challenges in Southern states — Facing South
A newly-formed coalition of advocacy groups has launched a campaign to end Duke Energy’s longstanding monopoly control over most of North Carolina’s electric system in hopes that permitting competition among power generators would hasten the shift to clean energy and bring pollution relief to vulnerable communities.
NC legislators seek hearing in Charlotte on Duke Energy’s long-range plans — Charlotte Business Journal
Nine Mecklenburg Democrats in the N.C. General Assembly are calling on state regulators to hold additional hearings, including one with expert testimony, on the long-range plans for North Carolina’s three largest electric utilities.