Raleigh—The state’s investor-owned utilities have left dark
fingerprints on the latest version of Senate Bill 3, the long-negotiated energy
bill unveiled today in a key Senate Committee.
The bill, now titled, “Promote Renewable Energy/Baseload Generation,” drew
opposition from Environment North Carolina and others for provisions that would
facilitate new coal and nuclear power plants in the state.
“North Carolina has a tremendous opportunity to produce clean,
renewable energy from the sun and wind, and to use energy more efficiently,”
said Environment North Carolina State Director Elizabeth Ouzts. “We should maximize that potential before
tipping the scales further towards more dirty, dangerous power sources.”
More than 60 percent of the
state’s electricity today comes from burning fossil fuels, a major source of
the pollution that leads to global warming.
Another 30 percent comes from nuclear power, which poses safety risks
and creates waste that remains hazardous for generations.
Senate Bill 3 now contains
provisions that would shift financial risks of building new power plants from
investors to ratepayers, making massive new coal and nuclear generation
facilities in North
Carolina all
but certain.
Speaking before the committee,
Environment North Carolina objected to the provisions, arguing they
overshadowed the clean energy portions of the bill, which, by themselves, could
represent an important step towards maximizing the state’s potential for clean
energy and energy efficiency.
Until today, Senate Bill 3
and House Bill 77, the Clean Energy Act, had closely tracked each other. Both bills contain provisions that require
that at least 7.5% of the state’s energy needs to be met from renewable sources
of power, including the sun, wind, and agricultural waste. Both measures would ensure that more than
50,000 homes by 2021 would be powered by the sun. Both would require substantial energy savings
measures, cutting global warming pollution and creating new clean jobs.
“We’re disappointed that the
clean energy section of Senate Bill 3 is now marred by the black mark of
incentives for more nuclear and coal,” said Ouzts. “We’re asking lawmakers to make the clean
energy bill clean again.”
