MEDIA ADVISORY
For Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019
Groups in N.C. launch extraordinary campaign to end Duke Energy’s monopoly control of electric system and public officials
Contact:
Jim Warren, NC WARN, jim@ncwarn.org, 919-416-5077
Karen Bearden. 350 Triangle, chickadeebirders@gmail.com, 919-844-9050
Emily Wurth, Food & Water Watch, ewurth@fwwatch.org, 202-412-1505
When: Wednesday, February 13 at 1 p.m. EST
Where: LIVE STREAM of press conference at First Baptist Church in Raleigh
Speakers:
Bobby Jones, Down East Coal Ash Coalition
Donna Chavis, Friends of the Earth, RedTailed Hawk Collective
Amy Adams, Appalachian Voices
Jean Su, Center for Biological Diversity
Immediately following the press conference, the coalition members (expecting about 25+) will walk to the state Capitol to deliver a letter to Gov. Roy Cooper, Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore calling on them to publicly pledge to stop taking Duke’s campaign contributions and beginning a public process to open North Carolina to energy choice and competition.
A newly formed coalition is beginning a broad-based campaign to challenge the Duke Energy monopoly control over North Carolina. The Energy Justice NC Coalition is a new collaboration of 15 local, state, regional and national organizations focused on promoting common sense energy policies that will shift the state to a more affordable, safer and secure electric system, and create local jobs and community wealth through allowing consumer choice and competition.
The coalition is anchored by leaders from communities devastated by worsening hurricanes, Duke Energy’s coal ash negligence, the proposed massive, fracked gas Atlantic Coast Pipeline, hog waste being labeled “renewable” energy, and runaway rate hikes. The coalition is calling for fair competition in North Carolina’s energy system and an end to the monopoly stranglehold that increasingly is harming communities, businesses and the environment in numerous ways.
The groups will roll out the details of their multi-pronged campaign, which in the U.S. appears to be an unprecedented effort by social justice and clean energy advocates to end monopoly control of a state’s electric system.
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