Half of the energy production from Duke Energy in North Carolina comes from nuclear. The rest is coal and natural gas and a smattering of solar
Small North Carolina town sues energy ‘Goliath’ in historic climate action
A small North Carolina town has launched the nation’s first-ever climate accountability lawsuit against an electric utility.
The litigation, filed by officials from Carrboro, North Carolina, on Wednesday morning, accuses Duke Energy of waging a “deception campaign” to obscure the climate dangers of fossil fuels. Those efforts resulted in delayed action to curb planet-heating pollution, which has pushed up the costs of climate action today, the lawsuit says.
“When you’re dealing with something like the existential threat of climate change, that requires us to make bold moves,” said Carrboro’s mayor, Barbara Foushee, who helped bring the suit.
The litigation follows a November report from the non-profit research group Energy and Policy Institute, which found some of the utility companies that comprise today’s Duke Energy Corporation – including Duke Power, Carolina Power & Light, and Public Service Indiana – were cautioned about the climate crisis decades ago.
“Although Duke has understood the dangers of climate change for decades, the company actively participated in a far-reaching, decades-long campaign to deceive the public and decision-makers about these dangers,” the suit says.
OK, so, what will Carrboro do for energy? Has the town invested in solar and wind? How will everyone get to work in Durham, Chapel Hill, and Raleigh (Carrboro is directly to the west of Chapel Hill and just to the southwest of Durham, so, it’s no surprise it is full of Warmists)? There are 5 gas stations (listed) in Carrboro: will they be banned? Will the city stop using fossil fuels for their operations?
The town, which sits about 20 miles (32km) south-west of Durham, is seeking damages for the climate-fueled costs of adapting roads and infrastructure to increased flooding, and for increased energy costs.
“Those costs could add up to millions, many millions,” said Crystal.
The exact amount the case could yield in damages is unclear.
“We’re content to let a jury of our peers determine what we get,” said Foushee.
Ah, so, it’s a shakedown. Too bad Duke won’t say “we will not provide energy during litigation.”
Until the complainants have to bear the costs of these lawfare shakedowns they will never end.