Hey everybody,

I decided to ruin my summer by joining Dan as legislative intern for NCLCV. So far, it’s been great, but he has vowed to turn my positive attitude toward the political process into pure, unabashed cynicism. I say that tongue in cheek; however, the current effort toward dismantling North Carolina’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards has already chipped away at my resolve to “make a difference”.

Perhaps folks do not understand the benefit of clean energy in general, and I can begin to accept that. But they should at least understand the impact repealing REPS will have on economic growth for our state. After ignoring constituents (who are largely in favor of solar energy) and overlooking market trends (which point to a painless achievement of the 12.5% standard by 2018), will the General Assembly tune out the big dogs that weighed in on the issue?

Technology giants – Apple, Facebook, and Google – collaborated in a letter to NC lawmakers, urging another look at the matter. Read the letter for yourself here. I find it pretty convincing…will they?

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

All the best,

Peter Magner
Intern Extraordinaire

The HotList is a weekly email the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters (NCLCV) sends out during session where we talk about relevant legislation and share information on key environmental issues as they come before the General Assembly. While primarily intended for elected representatives, the HotList is also made public to any and all who are concerned about the environment.