More than 50 people turned out this week for a public hearing on Duke Energy鈥檚 plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The hearing at the Buncombe County Courthouse was to be held this month by the North Carolina Utilities Commission.
A state law calls for Duke to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions from 2005 levels by 70% by 2030. Duke has offered proposals that would meet that goal by either 2030, 2033 or 2035.
The law, , also requires that Duke achieve net carbon neutrality by 2050.
At a hearing that lasted nearly two hours, environmental advocates on Tuesday night voiced concern about Duke鈥檚 to build more methane gas and nuclear power plants rather than relying more heavily on solar and wind power generation.
Cathy Buckley, an organizer with the North Carolina Alliance to Protect Our People and the Places We Live, told BPR Duke鈥檚 plan is the 鈥渆xact opposite of what we need.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 very upset that we have the tools to actually make a clean energy transition now, and in North Carolina, we鈥檙e going to be building more gas plants than anyplace else in the country,鈥� Buckley said. 鈥淎nd those gas plants are so bad for the climate.鈥�
Gray Jernigan, deputy director and general counsel for the environmental advocacy group MountainTrue, called natural gas 鈥渄angerous.鈥�
The North Carolina Utilities Commission, he argued, should tell Duke to instead expand its use of renewables such as wind and solar.
Some speakers, such as Rosemary Robinson, a retired public school teacher from Candler, said they are concerned about the well-being of future generations. She called Duke鈥檚 plan 鈥渟hortsighted鈥� and 鈥渕otivated by profit.鈥�
鈥淲e want an alternative reduction plan 鈥� one that meets the moment, one that puts clean, renewable energy at the forefront. 鈥� We need y鈥檃ll to get real and do your job,鈥� Robinson told the commissioners.
A representative for Duke was present at Tuesday鈥檚 hearing but, as is typical at such hearings, was there to listen and did not publicly respond to criticisms from the nearly two dozen residents who spoke out against the plan.
In a recent interview with WFAE鈥檚 Zachary Turner, Duke Energy鈥檚 North Carolina state president Kendal Bowman defended Duke鈥檚 carbon plan. She described natural gas as 鈥渕uch cleaner鈥� than coal, which the company plans to phase out by 2035.
鈥淲e do need resources that will be available 24 hours a day when the sun's not shining, when the wind鈥檚 not blowing, those sorts of things,鈥� Bowman told WFAE.
鈥淏ut if you look at the portfolio, while we are increasing the natural gas, it's a lot less natural gas than if you looked at solar resources that we're putting on the system. And so, we need to continue to be focused on reliability, and natural gas is going to allow us to retire coal.鈥�
She added that Duke remains 鈥渃ommitted to achieving carbon neutrality for all of our customers by 2050.鈥�
The hearing came as Duke is also over rising electricity costs. Some Asheville residents told BPR they have seen a steep increase in their monthly bills.
State Sen. Julie Mayfield, a Democrat who was part of the team that negotiated House Bill 951 in 2021, urged the commission Tuesday night to be aggressive in pushing energy efficiency and protecting low-income residents from Duke鈥檚 rising rates.
She related the story of a friend who recently called her in a 鈥渇lat-out panic鈥� over her latest electricity bill. The friend, Mayfield said, is disabled, lives in affordable housing and has 鈥渘o other way鈥� to generate additional income apart from her monthly disability income.
鈥淯se the full scope of your authority under 951 or any other bill that gives you authority to take care of our low-income customers,鈥� Mayfield told the members of the utilities commission.
The panel will hold its upcoming public hearings in Wilmington and Durham; it will also host an online session on April 23. The panel is expected to decide by the end of the year whether to approve Duke鈥檚 plan.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to clarify the role of the Duke Energy representative during Utilities Commission hearings.
