Raleigh—The North Carolina House gave tentative approval
Monday afternoon to Senate Bill 3, the controversial energy package that has
come under fire from environmental and consumer groups. The House made several improvements to the
bill, which includes renewable energy and energy efficiency requirements, but
left largely in tact provisions that would promote new coal and nuclear
generation. The bill is scheduled for a
final vote on Tuesday.
“The bill still provides a
powerful incentive for utilities to pursue dirty power,” said Elizabeth Ouzts, Environment
North Carolina State Director, “but there is a silver lining.”
Senate Bill 3 would ensure
that at least 7.5 percent of the state’s power will come from renewable energy sources
by 2021. House lawmakers in the Energy
and Energy Efficiency committee also added a requirement that utility
regulators evaluate efficiency measures and renewable energy sources before
allowing new coal and nuclear plants.
“A renewable energy standard
is the first step down the path for a new energy future—one that will bolster
our economy, and ensure a clean and healthy environment for generations to
come,” said Ouzts. “We hope utilities
and their regulators will continue down this path, and avoid the temptation
provided in the bill to go backwards.”
As originally introduced,
Senate Bill 3 contained only requirements for renewable energy and energy
savings. But utility interests succeeded
in inserting provisions to ease financing of new coal and nuclear power plants
before the bill cleared the Senate.
The House Finance committee
also made modest changes to Senate Bill 3, including a requirement that
regulators consider new financing rules when determining the rate of return for
the state’s investor-owned utilities.
