DURHAM, N.C. (April 24, 2024) – Southern Coalition for Social Justice hosted North Carolina residents for a panel and watch party of the North Carolina Utilities Commission’s virtual public comment hearing of the Carbon Plan and Integrated Resource Plan, or CPIRP.
The panel consisted of energy experts and community activists including Michelle Carter, clean energy campaigns director of the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters; Justin Somelofske, regulatory counsel at North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association; David Neal, senior attorney at Southern Environmental Law Center; and Bonita Green, executive director of Merrick-Moore Community Development Corporation.
The panelists discussed the requirements of the CPIRP and the topline concerns of Duke Energy’s proposed plan to meet those requirements. These concerns were echoed by the speakers during the hearing, who condemened Duke’s plan as over-inflating the cost of clean energy, prioritizing profit over people, and overburdening communities already struggling under the climate crisis.
