“Trust us.” That’s what the sponsors of the latest legislative effort to suppress clean wind energy development are saying.
Last Wednesday, the North Carolina Senate passed a bill that would set a three-year moratorium on wind energy projects across nearly our entire coast. This comes only five months after the previous 18-month ban ended. Proponents of the bill say a moratorium is not the end goal, but do they expect us to believe them? If a ban on wind energy is not the goal of the bill, then why propose a ban in the first place?
The bill is now in the House. Senate sponsors assert House deliberations will see the moratorium provision dropped. But something here just doesn’t add up. These same senators called for their colleagues to pass the bill with the moratorium intact. Only time will tell if House deliberations will actually see it deleted from the bill.
Now the House will determine whether North Carolina needs this bill at all. Sponsors say the bill protects our military bases, but opponents rightly note existing wind farm rules are already robust — including a process by which the military approves any projects near its bases. Why add another state law to the list of already comprehensive ones? It seems like a plot to stall wind energy projects on our coast for another three years. And who knows how many bans will continue to be passed after that?
It is time for North Carolina to invest in clean energy, including wind. Stand by for an action alert in the coming days or weeks. We will need your help urging your representative to stop this bill from passing the House.
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