94 Legislative Candidates Commit to Moving NC to 100% Clean Energy by 2050
Clean Energy for All will improve North Carolinians’ health and create more sustainable communities
RALEIGH, N.C.— Today, as part of a nationwide effort, the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters (NCLCV) announced that 94 General Assembly candidates have committed to the ‘Clean Energy for All’ goal to move North Carolina to 100% clean energy by 2050.
Similar announcements by the national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) and other state affiliates within the Conservation Voter Movement are happening today for a total of more than 1,400 candidates who have made the Clean Energy for All commitment across the country.
“Across North Carolina, people are demanding common-sense clean energy solutions to protect our health, and to create more sustainable and thriving communities,” said Carrie Clark, NCLCV Executive Director. “Clean energy is a winning issue for candidates, and a win for North Carolina’s public health, environment, and economy. Recognizing that, nearly 100 candidates for the General Assembly’s 170 seats have heard our call — if they are all elected, they would form a governing majority in both chambers which is committed to moving North Carolina in the right direction.”
Among these 94 clean energy champions are Sydney Batch, candidate for House District 37 in Wake County, and Erica McAdoo, candidate for House District 63 in Alamance County.
A large part of McAdoo’s work managing a law firm involves strategic planning, and she believes investing in clean energy is a smart strategic move for North Carolina’s future. She knows our children deserve air they can breathe and water they can drink, and an economy which offers good-paying, green jobs. That means moving on from dirty fossil fuels and embracing the clean energy technology which is already a huge part of North Carolina’s economy.
“I have a five-year-old and twenty-year-old, and I am running because I want them to inherit a world that is cleaner and safer,” said McAdoo. “Setting North Carolina on a path to fuel our state completely through renewable energy by 2050 is the best way to ensure we can sustain our way of life without sacrificing our health or our natural resources.”
McAdoo’s opponent is three-term incumbent Stephen Ross, who has a lifetime 4% NCLCV score, and is widely seen as vulnerable for his anti-environmental record. Ross voted for a wind energy ban, for two bills to make installing solar panels more costly, for drillers being able to frack under someone’s property without their permission, for letting pipeline developers condemn private property, and against letting local governments regulate fracking. McAdoo would be a breath of fresh air and a rock-solid champion of Clean Energy for All.
“This is an unprecedented level of commitment to clean energy,” said Sara Jordan, LCV’s Clean Energy for All campaign manager. “In the absence of leadership from Washington, state and local leaders are listening to the majority of people who want action on climate change. The more than 1,400 candidates coast to coast who are making this commitment are showing they are ready to step up.”
The Conservation Voter Movement, made up of LCV and 30 affiliated state organizations, launched Clean Energy for All in March 2018. The network-wide effort was created to move our country closer to 100% clean energy and pollution-free communities by 2050. In addition to the commitment, the Clean Energy for All campaign works to win ballot initiatives that promote clean energy and reduce pollution, encourages state and local lawmakers to break down the barriers to clean energy, and pushes for smart investments that reduce air pollution.
More stories of candidates making the commitment around the country can be found here.
