The New NC State Carbon Plan for Duke Energy
In October 2021, the North Carolina General Assembly and Governor Cooper signed a new energy bill into law - HB 951. The new law called on the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) to develop a carbon plan for the state by the end of 2022 that would reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 70% below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. On December 31, 2022, the NCUC filed the plan they have developed. Join the western North Carolina Sierra Club and Beyond Coal Campaign Representative Mikaela Curry on February 2 at 7pm via Zoom to learn about the plan developed by the NCUC and what it will mean for North Carolina’s’ energy future.
In Mikaela's words:
"The carbon plan decision is important to the community because it affects everyone's health and well-being, now and in the future. We cannot rely on Duke Energy to make choices in the public interest, when we know their priority is earning money for their shareholders. We need to be engaged in this plan, and with the utilities commission to ensure a secure, clean energy future for all North Carolinians. As many experienced in the winter storm and subsequent forced outages by Duke in December 2022, electricity generation is an important issue that affects us all. Those blackouts were a direct failure of fossil fuel infrastructure and Duke's planning. Utilizing reliable, low-cost renewable energy is a vital part of energy security for North Carolina's future, and it's important for everyone to understand these issues, and how they can be a part of this process moving forward.
We're disappointed by the commission's decision in the carbon plan, especially their determination that Duke's plan to invest in 2,000 MW of new gas capacity is reasonable, while North Carolinians continue to bear unreasonable and burdensome costs due to the volatility of gas. It’s particularly frustrating that commissioners aren’t doing more to protect consumers and were unwilling to direct Duke to prioritize energy efficiency and procure more low cost clean energy, like solar and storage. We know the most cost-effective way to prepare for the future is to listen to communities, deploy clean, renewable energy as quickly as possible and to not rely on false promises like new nuclear and hydrogen technology that aren’t even available today.We hope that moving forward the commission will do more to protect customers who bear the health-related costs of continued reliance on dirty fuels and are increasingly struggling to pay their bills under Duke's short-sighted, profit driven planning."
Mikaela Curry is the Campaign Representative for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign in North Carolina and South Carolina. She is a published writer, community organizer and environmental scientist with a wide range of experiences across Central Appalachia and the US South. She holds advanced degrees in biological sciences and has worked as an environmental specialist, consultant, conservationist, and researcher.