New Legislation Puts State Climate Goals in Danger. Tell Your Legislators to Oppose the Bill!
For a large portion of our state, Duke Energy is an energy monopoly with very little oversight when it comes to raising our bills. And they fill plenty of legislators’ campaign coffers to keep it that way.
Legislators have proposed a bill that could not only walk back our state’s climate goals but would allow Duke to charge for construction of new dirty methane gas and nuclear plants before they ever operate and provide service. This would leave ratepayers on the hook for delays and cost-overruns without any guarantee the plants will ever operate. It already happened in South Carolina and Georgia, leaving customers responsible for billions of dollars. Tell your legislators to oppose this dirty energy giveaway for Duke Energy.
Fight for State Climate Action!
A Greedy Monopoly Lobbying for More Money
While North Carolinians struggle to pay their ever-increasing energy bills, Duke Energy has continued to lobby for ways to make more money from captive customers. This newest attempt could allow them to charge for services that customers aren’t even using yet.
North Carolinians Want A Clean Energy Transition
Last year, we found that 74% of NC voters say it is important for the state to increase its use of clean and renewable energy sources. 63% say it is important for the state to reduce its use of fossil fuels. Additionally, over two in three voters (68%) want North Carolina’s elected officials to make North Carolina a leader in clean energy, including clean electricity generation and manufacturing clean-energy technologies in the state.
Clean Energy Infrastructure Is Cheaper and Quicker To Build
The cost of solar and wind power is already 50% cheaper than power from coal and gas. In fact, during North Carolina’s winter storms in 2022, gas failed while solar and wind kept working. And while solar farms often take less than a year to build, gas plants take up to seven years and cost millions more to build and operate, leaving ratepayers on the hook for years to come.
How Senate Bill 266 Endangers Climate Goals
Senate Bill 266 includes a provision that eliminates North Carolina’s interim climate goal, letting Duke Energy off the hook from reducing its carbon emissions to 70% of 2005 levels by 2030. Despite retaining the 2050 carbon neutrality goal, eliminating the short-term benchmark discourages state climate progress and damages NC’s reputation as a leader in the clean energy transition. Eliminating or extending climate goals diminishes their priority and decreases the likelihood of achieving them – leading us to believe they don’t really care about reaching these goals.
Speaking Out Against SB 266
We are making sure North Carolinians hear about this disastrous bill. Help us in this work by becoming a donor today.
