Legislative Watch: Utilities Commission Nominees Ignored
Speaking of non-responsive legislators, the N.C. Senate and House have refused for the past five months to even consider Gov. Roy Cooper’s three appointments to the N.C. Utilities Commission.
As a result, the Utilities Commission is operating short-handed on members — and without any effective input from the governor elected by North Carolina voters nearly one year ago. That’s no coincidence. This legislature is run by politicians ready to give big power whatever it wants on energy and environment issues. The current governor, unlike those leaders and the previous governor, is committed to clean power policies. Hostile legislative leaders are trying to keep his nominees off the Commission.
Dan Crawford, NCLCV’s Director of Governmental Relations, says: “This is an urgent matter. The NC Utilities Commission has been and will continue to hear arguments on whether Duke Energy should be allowed to raise the rates for millions of NC families and small businesses. Month after month, legislators have had the opportunity to approve Cooper’s three candidates and fill long overdue vacancies with individuals capable of ensuring the Commission can do its job of securing for the people of North Carolina an efficient and economic system of public utilities. We literally cannot afford to let that legislative foot-dragging continue.”
NCLCV encourages its supporters to instead help hold legislators’ feet to the fire by sending a message demanding action now.
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