NC General Assembly Reconvenes to Override Key Vetoes 

The stage is now set for the multi-legislation showdown between Gov. Josh Stein and the NC General Assembly as it reconvenes on July 29th to consider override attempts on multiple vetoed bills.

Protecting North Carolina’s Clean Energy Future: SB 266

Of these, the most important veto to protect North Carolina’s clean energy future was Governor Stein’s rejection of SB 266. This legislation would greenlight Duke Energy’s plan to raise families’ electric bills through massive spending on unneeded dirty gas pipelines and power plants.

“Governor Stein continues to stand up for hardworking North Carolinians against Duke Energy’s greed. Senate Bill 266 would have raised residential energy bills, put ratepayers on the hook for Duke’s expansion, and gutted a key state climate goal—cutting carbon emissions 70% by 2030. An independent study found removing this target goal would cost ratepayers an additional $23 billion by 2050,” said Dan Crawford, NCLCV’s Director of Governmental Relations, in applauding the veto. “North Carolinians deserve both low energy costs and clean energy. Don’t believe the lie that we have to choose between the two. That’s a scam pushed by wealthy utilities to protect their profits at the expense of our communities. The truth is clean energy is the cheapest, fastest way to add power to our grid. Duke just doesn’t make as much money from it.”

Governor Stein’s Veto Message: Lower Bills, Cleaner Energy

In his statement explaining his veto of SB 266, Governor Stein said, “This summer’s record heat and soaring utility bills has shown that we need to focus on lowering electricity costs for working families — not raising them. And as our state continues to grow, we need to diversify our energy portfolio so that we are not overly reliant on natural gas and its volatile fuel markets. Recent independent analysis of Senate Bill 266 shows that this bill could cost North Carolina ratepayers up to $23 billion through 2050 due to higher fuel costs.” He added, “This bill not only makes everyone’s utility bills more expensive, but it also shifts the cost of electricity from large industrial users onto the backs of regular people – families will pay more so that industry pays less. Additionally, this bill walks back our state’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions, sending the wrong signal to businesses that want to be a part of our clean energy economy. My job is to do everything in my power to lower costs and grow the economy. This bill fails that test.”

Take Action Now: Protect the Veto of SB 266

If you have not yet contacted your legislators in support of Governor Stein’s veto of SB 266, please do so immediately.

SB 266 was one of three vetoed bills with direct implications for environmental quality, clean energy and climate change, or defending democracy in North Carolina.

Another Veto Showdown: SB 416 – A Threat to Campaign Transparency 

A bill vetoed last week, SB 416, would open a new loophole for “dark money” donations to pollute our state’s campaigns, by hiding from the public information on large donors to certain non-profit organizations, including legal funds for candidates. In his veto message, the Governor said, “Our democracy works best when people are well-informed. This bill reduces transparency and creates more opportunity for dark money in our politics, especially relating to candidates’ legal funds. Furthermore, it makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the Department of Revenue to identify and crack down on certain types of tax fraud.”  

Veto of HB 402: Weakening Environmental Protections 

HB 402—”Limit Rules with Substantial Financial Costs”—is another vehicle for letting polluters continue to jeopardize public health and resources instead of paying to clean up their mess. In his veto message, Gov. Stein said, “This bill would make it harder for the state to keep people’s drinking water clean from PFAS and other dangerous chemicals, their air free from toxic pollutants, and their health care facilities providing high quality care. It would impose red tape, including an unworkable unanimity requirement, that would hamstring the decision-making of agencies, boards, and commissions, making them less effective at protecting people’s health, safety, and welfare. 

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