Key provisions to extend the period of time between utility company rate cases are embedded within N.C. Senate Bill 559, being debated at the N.C. General Assembly. Similar provisions hurt Virginia customers, and will hurt North Carolina customers, too.
Methane, Fracked Gas & Climate
Methane (the main component in natural gas) is 100 times as bad for the climate as carbon dioxide over the short term. Less CO2 is emitted by natural gas than by coal when burned. But significant leakage of methane before burning makes gas a disaster for the climate, as revealed even more by recent science. Yet utilities and the gas industry are still feverishly promoting fracked gas.
NC WARN is working hard to connect the dots between climate change, methane leakage and the fracking boom that is driven by demand from the electric power industry.
Learn more about our methane work here.
Watch a 3-minute video by Cornell University’s Dr. Robert Howarth describing why natural gas is a disastrous strategy for the climate. More videos, PowerPoints and documentation here.
“Everything You Need to Know About Methane”, a primer by Earthjustice.
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Ethics complaint filed against NC senator over Duke Energy-backed bill — Charlotte Business Journal
By John Downey NC WARN has filed an ethics complaint against Sen. Dan Blue, D-Wake, contending there is a conflict of interest between his sponsorship of legislation about utility regulation and his law firm’s work for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The complaint, filed Wednesday morning with the N.C. Ethics Commission, raises …
Complaint filed over Wake lawmaker’s Duke Energy bill, his law firm’s pipeline work — WRAL
Democrat Dan Blue should address his conflict of interest with Duke Energy — News & Observer
[NC WARN] says Blue, a Wake County Democrat and the Senate minority leader, has a glaring conflict of interest. He is the lead sponsor of legislation, Senate Bill 559, that would change the state’s utility commission’s rate-setting structure even as Blue’s law firm — which includes his two sons — is representing a holding company tied to Duke Energy in eminent domain cases related to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
Group files ethics complaint against state Sen. Dan Blue, a Raleigh Democrat — The Associated Press
NC Democrat faces ethics complaint over work for Duke Energy, Atlantic Coast Pipeline — News & Observer
Ongoing Ethics Violations Cited against NC Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue — News Release from NC WARN
A watchdog group today filed a lengthy complaint with the NC Ethics Commission outlining what they say is an improper arrangement between Duke Energy and Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue.
Visual Timeline: When Did Dealmaking Begin?
See articles by News & Observer Editorial, News & Observer coverage, WRAL, Associated Press, and Charlotte Business Journal
Public Energy Enemy No. 1 — News Release from NC WARN and EWG
Duke Energy is the largest investor-owned electric utility in the U.S. But a new report by Environmental Working Group reveals another distinction: Its puny investments in renewable energy, schemes to penalize customers who want to go solar, and environmental record make Duke public energy enemy No. 1.
Legislators Should Reject Duke Energy Deception and Annual Rate Hike Bill — News Release from EJNC
How the Media Launders Fossil Fuel Industry Propaganda Through Branded Content — The Intercept
With a headline predicting that natural gas “will thrive in the age of renewables,” the article made the case that there are limitations on solar and wind power and that … natural gas “is part of the solution.” Why was the Washington Post weighing in on the need for continued production of this fossil fuel in the face of climate change? Or was it?