NC Needs a Carbon Plan that Works
In 2021, state lawmakers ordered the N.C. Utilities Commission to adopt a Carbon Plan that would reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation to 70% below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve “net zero” emissions by 2050. The first plan was released at the end of 2022, and it's updated every two years.
Duke Energy, the state's monopoly electricity provider, plays a pivotal role in this process.
Right now, the NCUC is working with Duke Energy on an update to be issued by the end of 2024. But the plan that Duke submitted and NCUC endorsed last year won't get us to the carbon emission reductions identified by the legislature. This type of planning will lock us into decades of continued reliance on dirty fossil fuels.
Your voice is needed!
You can submit comments now to the N.C. Utilities Commission about Duke Energy's Carbon Plan - Integrated Resource Plan (CPIRP). For reference, here are some topline concerns about the plan. Be sure to sign up for email updates below!
NEW: Attend one of these upcoming public hearings:
- Virtual: 6:30 pm Tuesday, April 23. Held remotely via Webex and livestreamed on Youtube (check the NCUC hearings page for info)
- Wilmington: 7 p.m. Monday, April 29. New Hanover County Courthouse Courtroom
- Durham: 7 pm Tuesday, April 30. Durham County Courthouse
How do you submit comments?
- DO use the NCUC's website to submit your statement.
- DO be sure to include the official docket number in the subject line of your email: Docket No. E 100, Sub 190.
- DO identify yourself as a Duke Energy ratepayer who will be directly and personally affected by this plan, or as a North Carolina resident who is affected by Duke's impact on the environment.
- Do NOT identify yourself as a member of the Sierra Club or any other group. The Sierra Club is submitting its own responses as one of several intervenors in the process.
- DO encourage your friends and neighbors to speak up, too!
- DO sign up below to get occasional updates from us about the carbon plan and Duke Energy.
NEWS:
Duke's Updated Energy Plan Doubles Down on Gas (Feb. 2): Duke Energy filed an update for its combined Carbon Plan and Integrated Resource Plan (CPIRP) with the North Carolina Utility Commission. The filing outlines the buildout of a new methane gas plant, which would undermine its promise of a clean energy transition. “Once again, Duke Energy wants to sink massive amounts of money into dirty methane gas,” Mikaela Curry, Sierra Club Field Manager, said. “Duke continues to create artificial barriers to renewable energy, and this fossil-focused approach leaves customers stuck with skyrocketing energy bills while our communities suffer from polluted air and water."
The truth is out (Oct. 10): We've just issued our third annual Dirty Truth report, which grades utilities on how they're living up to their pledges to phase out dirty fuels, clean up carbon emissions and more. For the third year in a row, Duke Energy is at the bottom of the class. Read the full report here, and see how Duke and its subsidiaries performed (summary here).