Duke Energy & State Regulators

Duke Energy is seeking to charge North Carolina customers up to $120 million a year to pay for laid-off employees, vacant offices and other phantom expenses. A proposed settlement in the rate case does not remedy this blatant overcharging, so NC WARN will call on state regulators to reject it when evidentiary hearings begin on July 8.

NC WARN is calling for state regulators to assess millions of dollars in damages against Duke Energy Carolinas for what the watchdog group says are “egregious and pervasive” violations in the utility’s current rate case. Economist Bill Marcus of Sacramento-based JBS Energy, Inc. [states]: “Disallowance of the expense is clearly not enough. If it was not for NC WARN, the utility could have gotten away with this flagrant abuse from the highest levels of the company for years.”

Statement from Greenpeace, AARP NC and NC WARN. The state agency that supposedly represents North Carolina electricity customers has cut a deal with Duke Energy to settle a controversial rate hike request. The NC Utilities Commission’s Public Staff announced the deal today before even considering evidence being prepared by public interest groups, businesses and local governments – and before public hearings set for Winston-Salem, Charlotte and Hillsborough.

Each year, Duke Energy charges North Carolina ratepayers for money poured onto groups representing both major political parties at the federal and state levels, according to documents obtained by NC WARN during the discovery phase of Duke’s current rate hike request. Second installment of our Burning the Public series.

Duke is trying to charge families, small businesses $8 million annually for industrial schmoozing. First in a series of revelations NC WARN will roll out as our legal team reviews thousands of documents gained in Duke’s new rate case.