As Duke Energy continues its six-year PR campaign touting CEO Jim Rogers’ concerns about climate change and North Carolina’s economic health, long-range plans filed this month with state regulators contradict his professions. The plans reflect serial rate hikes to pay for an aggressive expansion of generating plants, and high carbon emissions for the next two decades.
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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Utility officials expected to hire investigators in Duke Energy review – The News & Observer
Duke-Progress Merger Signals Challenges to Economy, Environment and Democracy – NC WARN Press Release
Statement by NC WARN DirectorJim Warren: Creation of the nation’s largest electric utility will require enhanced vigilance and action by public advocates to protect our economy, our environment and our democracy from a giant corporation well-known for its use of political muscle to pursue profits and expansion. This merger will …
Progress Energy BREAKS nuclear plant – price tag $2.5 billion and rising
Progress Energy can congratulate itself for skirting major controversy at its three nuclear plants in the Carolinas in recent years. But 700 miles south of here, the Raleigh-based utility’s nuclear plant in Florida is experiencing one of the most exorbitant and bewildering mishaps in the history of the nation’s nuclear industry.
Merged Utilities Would Create State’s Top Corporate PAC – Democracy NC
Great solar news, but NC utilities impeding the shift – An Update from NC WARN
The first two items show that we can get our energy primarily from clean, renewable sources and that solar PV will be cost competitive with traditional fossil fuels soon – even without government subsidies.
The third item relates how Duke Energy and other electric utilities are blocking the transition to clean energy in NC.