A series of monster hurricanes have pummeled eastern North Carolina, devastating its rural communities. Since 2016, Robeson County has seen three so-called “500-year floods” and other steady rains that have turned the Lumbee River – a lifeline for generations – into something people fear.
Eastern communities are also suffering the storm of efforts by Duke Energy to push the dirty Atlantic Coast Pipeline through their communities. They’ve also been hit with repeated rate increases and toxic coal ash pollution while the utility blocks competition from cheaper, cleaner renewable energy solutions.
These are symptoms of North Carolina’s badly broken electricity system. Low-wealth and communities of color are hurt most, but all state residents are harmed by rapid climate disruption and by constant electric bill increases from Duke’s plans for unneeded pipelines, fracked-gas power plants and a $13 billion scheme for unnecessary transmission “improvements.”