Tag: Duke Energy

Weak Conditions Offered on Duke-Progress Merger

November 30, 2012 at 9:05 amCategory:Uncategorized

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The closed-door decision by the NC Utilities Commission (NCUC) and the Public Staff to end its investigation into the Duke-Progress merger in exchange for a handful of restrained conditions is another missed opportunity by state regulators to protect NC consumers.

The Commission must vote on the proposal on Monday which includes conditions such as shuffling of staff and board members, concretizing Jim Rogers’ already planned 2013 retirement and throwing a few bones to consumers and low-income customers. It’s mind-boggling to think how little has come from the merger investigation. Read More…

Conservatives announce new sea-level rise response

November 28, 2012 at 4:43 pmCategory:Uncategorized

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RALEIGH – Bowing to new and overwhelming evidence from the scientific community and the powerful impacts of recent catastrophic weather events, North Carolina conservative political leaders announced today that they are willing to accept the reality of sea-level rise, while at the same time proposing a plan to deal with it.

“It does appear  that some coastal tidal patterns have started to shift slightly,” said State Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger. “And regardless of whether this is the result of direct intervention by the Almighty or, as I believe, over-regulation of offshore drilling which has prevented ocean floors from subsiding to their appropriate levels, it does appear it’s time to act.”

Berger went on to say that he and colleague House Speaker Thom Tillis will introduce legislation during the 2013 session of the General Assembly to be entitled the “Personal Water-Level Mitigation Choice and Responsibility Act.” Under the multi-faceted proposal, individual taxpayers would, among other things, be able to establish tax-free savings accounts in which they would be able to shelter income for future use in dealing with coastal storms and rising seas. Read More…

Documents indicate Duke hid info from Utilities Commission

November 27, 2012 at 12:03 pmCategory:Uncategorized

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The following was released this morning by the good people at NC WARN:

Internal Document Indicates Duke Energy Hid Damning News on Broken Nuclear Plant before Merger with Progress Energy was Approved
Johnson memo to his board members strongly suggests Duke misled regulators in various states; NC WARN says this bolsters legal case to reopen merger hearings

Durham, NC – An April memo from ousted CEO Bill Johnson appears to confirm long-running concerns by a watchdog group that Duke Energy hid vital information from regulators in several states prior to the July closing of the utility’s controversial takeover of Progress Energy. NC WARN today filed the document with the NC Utilities Commission in support of the group’s case that merger hearings must be reopened to determine if billions of dollars in hidden costs offset the very savings to the public that are required of such a utility merger.

Read the entire release by clicking here.

Heath Shuler cashes in

November 26, 2012 at 4:40 pmCategory:Uncategorized

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Ah, the revolving door revolves again. This is from Yahoo! Finance:

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Duke Energy has named Heath Shuler as senior vice president of federal affairs, effective Jan. 4, 2013.

Shuler currently serves as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He has represented North Carolina’s 11thDistrict since 2007. His term expires Jan. 3, 2013. He announced his intention to retire from Congress Feb. 2, 2012…. Read More…

Coal Blooded – Report by the NAACP

November 26, 2012 at 11:00 amCategory:Uncategorized

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The NAACP recently released a report, Coal Blooded, which documents the “Environmental Justice Performance” of all coal fired power plants around the country. The report ranks the 378 plants using EPA toxic emissions data and demographic information – race, income and population density. The report shows that the six million Americans living near coal plants have an average income lower than the national average and 39% are people of color – whereas people of color make up 36% of the US population. Read More…