While Szoka has tried to free North Carolina from utility monopolies via legislation, environmental nonprofits have tried to affect change through activism. Seeking a clarification to state law on third-party financing, NC WARN installed solar panels on the roof of Faith Community Church in Greensboro, selling the electricity to the church at a rate much lower than Duke Energy would charge.
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Fracking could be behind startling increase in US methane surge, experts say — Independent (UK)
Methane leaks across US pose a much greater threat than Aliso Canyon — The Guardian
When Stephen Conley, an atmospheric scientist and pilot, saw an emissions indicator skyrocket in his Mooney TLS prop plane, he knew he had found a significant methane leak. His gas-detecting Picarro analyzer indicated he was flying through a plume of gas escaping at 900kg per hour. The colorless, odorless gas was enough to cover a football field to a height of 20 feet in a single day. But this flight wasn’t over the highly publicized Aliso Canyon in Los Angeles; Conley was circling the Bakken Shale, a rock formation in western North Dakota that has been aggressively pumped for oil and natural gas.
Emergency Climate Response
Click here to read about our 2015 campaign to amend Duke Energy’s corporate charter. Click here to read media coverage of the campaign.
Regulators Approve Duke’s Plan For Asheville Gas Plants — WFAE
N.C. WARN was among those opposing Duke’s plan for new generating units in Asheville. In a statement Monday afternoon, the group said: “Duke Energy can and should close the Asheville coal units now. Our position has been strengthened during this case: Duke’s huge natural gas power plant is not needed, would be high-risk economically, and would accelerate the global climate crisis at the worst possible time.”
Duke Energy gets approval for Asheville plant — The Charlotte Observer
The N.C. Utilities Commission will let Duke Energy build two natural gas-fired units at its Asheville power plant, replacing coal, but denied Duke’s contingent request for a third gas unit.
The Durham advocacy group NC WARN, which claims the fast-track approval let the project avoid in-depth scrutiny, said it will appeal the decision.
State’s Gift to Duke Energy to be Appealed — News Release from NC WARN and The Climate Times
Regulators approve most of Duke Energy’s $1B plan for new gas plant and infrastructure upgrades in Asheville — Charlotte Business Journal
State regulators say Duke Energy Progress can go ahead with a $750 million plan to build a 560-megawatt, two-unit natural gas plant in Asheville.
Jim Warren, executive director of the Durham watchdog group NC WARN, says the decision “sadly demonstrates Duke Energy’s corporate control over our politicians and regulators.”
Duke Energy Misled Regulators at Meeting over New Gas Plant — News Release from NC WARN
Last Monday’s meeting of the NC Utilities Commission perfectly demonstrated why fast-track review of Duke Energy’s application to build a $1.1 billion power plant fails the public interest and is unconstitutional. A Duke Energy attorney laying out a one-sided, over-simplified and misleading case to commissioners is no substitute for an evidentiary hearing that allows for open debate and cross-examination of Duke officials, the Commission’s Public Staff and experts representing other parties.
Rooftop solar energy surges in Orange County — Chapel Hill News
Between now and April 30, two of the biggest Solarize campaign organizers in North Carolina, NextClimate and NC WARN, are joining together to “Solarize the Triangle.” A solar system is a great hedge against increases in electricity rates, and provides tangible savings to those who otherwise may spend much of their limited income on electricity.