A major battle is heating up between North Carolina’s top prosecutor and the state’s largest utility provider. Attorney General Jeff Jackson has formally accused Duke Energy of giving false testimony under oath regarding its proposed rate increase.
During a state commission hearing, a Duke executive testified that a new settlement would limit residential rate hikes to 6.8%. However, Jackson’s office released calculations showing that the 6.8% figure is actually a blended average. In reality, residential households are facing a much steeper 9.3% spike. Jackson called the discrepancies a flat-out error under oath and announced he will refuse to sign the settlement.
Duke Energy responded to the allegations immediately. The company strongly denies misleading regulators, defending the proposal as a necessary compromise that was significantly reduced from their initial request to protect consumers.
Meanwhile, environmental groups are fighting back against the rate hike proposed by Duke Energy. Two North Carolina environmental justice organizations argue that regular homeowners are unfairly bearing the financial brunt of volatile fossil fuel costs and skyrocketing power demands from massive commercial data centers.
The North Carolina Environmental Justice Network and the Environmental Justice Community Action Network are demanding that Duke Energy lower its profit targets, invest more heavily in renewable energy, and create a separate, higher rate class specifically for data centers.
Attorneys representing the groups say that while Duke Energy did reduce its original request after public pushback, the utility provider still has a long way to go to keep electricity affordable for everyday families.
