Stop Duke Energy’s Climate Deception

COMING SOON!
“The True Cost of Power: Duke Energy’s Climate Deception” Short Documentary

Businesses & Organizations: Add your voice!
Sign the Letter to Stein

With the devastation from Helene, Chantal and other storms, climate change is ravaging communities across North Carolina. Despite the growing crisis, Duke continues to expand fossil fuels and suppress climate solutions. If its leaders are required to transition to solar and wind power, it could inspire global efforts to avert climate, economic and social chaos.

The Town of Carrboro, with the support of NC WARN and the Center for Biological Diversity, is suing Duke Energy for helping lead a national deception campaign to delay a clean energy transition.

The Stop Climate Deception campaign is pressing Governor Josh Stein to take urgent action in the face of the worsening climate crisis. Gov. Stein must publicly oppose Duke Energy’s expansion of fossil fuels and obstruction of clean energy solutions.

North Carolina is on the wrong track. Gov. Stein needs to stand with the scientists calling for his action.

 

“It’s really an emergency to change course as quickly as possible, which is what you do in an emergency. You do whatever it takes. … We really need to use all the levers we can to push Duke Energy away from this fossil fuel path.” — Dr. Drew Shindell, Professor of Climate Science

Quick Facts:

• Charlotte-based Duke Energy is the third-largest corporate polluter in the country.

• Because of its guaranteed monopoly profit of 10%, Duke is incentivized to build expensive and unnecessary power plants even when there are cheaper and cleaner alternatives.

• Duke Energy in the Carolinas has the largest planned buildout of gas-fired generation of any electric utility in the nation.

• Sixty-one leading scientists and over 200 businesses and organizations have joined the call for Governor Josh Stein to stop Duke Energy’s expansion of fossil fuels and suppression of renewables.

“As a regulated utility, we can force Duke Energy to do just about anything. It just requires the political will to do so.” — Sen. Graig Meyer

What is “Climate Deception”?

For decades, Duke Energy has been making the climate crisis worse while deceiving the public about climate science, then claiming to be a clean energy leader. Now, Duke Energy is rapidly expanding fossil fuels and suppressing solar and wind power – while Duke and politicians claim North Carolina is helping slow the climate crisis.

As early as the 1960s, Duke Energy leaders were warned about the harmful effects that burning fossil fuels could have on the climate. Despite this warning, Duke Energy executives have: 

• Downplayed the seriousness of fossil fuel emissions 
• Coordinated industry-wide public relations campaigns to sow climate change doubt
• Proposed false solutions to drag out use of fossil fuels, including promoting the “clean coal” pipe dream and natural gas as a “bridge fuel”
• Used industry-funded “scientists” and “Science Advisory Panels” to add false credibility to Duke Energy’s opposition to scientific consensus on fossil fuel dangers

Duke Energy’s deceptive greenwashing continues today. Only 1.8% of Duke Energy’s generated power came from renewable energy in 2023, despite years of running ads boasting wind turbines and solar panels.

“Duke Energy has more influence inside the General Assembly than just about any other entity.” — Sen. Graig Meyer

How does this impact you?

Climate disasters are harming millions of North Carolinians. Duke Energy’s expansion of fossil fuels and suppression of renewables is making the crisis even worse.

Duke Energy is seeking more than $1 billion in residential rate increases between 2023 and 2026 in the Carolinas alone. Duke’s planned investments in expensive fossil fuels and dozens of experimental nuclear plants could double or triple our power bills in coming years.

Across the state, historically marginalized groups, such as BIPOC and low-income communities, already bear the brunt of high electricity bills, severe storms and extreme heat. The disproportionate impact of climate change on these communities continues to worsen, and scientists insist we must change course immediately.

Duke Energy is the worst climate offender among U.S. electricity providers and wants to keep building dirty power plants.

Why Governor Josh Stein?

Our national and state governments continue to fail the accelerating climate challenge. Thus, it is vitally important that we press one of the world’s worst climate polluters – through our top elected state official – to change course.

Governor Josh Stein has broad authority and various political tools, including executive powers and a far-reaching bully pulpit. People across the nation are hungry for a governor who will address the climate emergency with bold and transformational action.

By leading the transition from deadly fossil fuels to affordable, resilient, and renewable energy, Gov. Stein could fundamentally change Duke Energy’s climate-wrecking course and inspire action from other leaders, helping to slow the climate crisis.

We call on Gov. Stein to break through the deception to stop Duke Energy from delaying the necessary and climate-saving transition from fossil fuels toward a renewable energy future.

So far, Gov. Stein still acts like North Carolina is helping slow the climate crisis, and his administration is going along with the expansion of methane gas pipelines and power plants.

Governor Stein must:

1. Declare a Climate Emergency that Displaces Fossil Fuel Generation with Affordable Renewable Energy

Using powers granted in the Emergency Management Act, Stein can declare a climate emergency to halt all fossil fuel expansion and begin replacing existing coal- and gas-burning power plants with solar, wind and energy-saving programs.

2. Deploy Local Solar-Plus-Storage (SPS) Systems on Critical Public Facilities for Disaster Resilience and Energy Affordability

Stein can lead the installation of SPS on critical public facilities such as fire/rescue/EMS stations and emergency shelters, thus providing crucial assistance during weather disasters and power outages, while also helping during normal operations. These and other advantages reduce the need for costly new gas-fired and nuclear power plants and the rate increases necessary to build them.

3. Curb the Climate and Affordability Crises from Data Centers

Stein should require that any new (and existing) data centers and other large electricity users be powered by on-site solar, renewables, and batteries. He should also protect North Carolinians from new data centers that threaten the public interest and are not proven to be necessary.

Now is the time for us to finally make the changes that climate scientists say humanity desperately needs.  We all must persuade Gov. Stein to help avert irreversible climate chaos that is harming communities across the state and the world.

Your voice matters! NC WARN and allies have won vs. Duke Energy in many huge, controversial challenges over the years. With your help, we can shift one of the world’s worst climate polluters.