UPDATE: A proposal to end North Carolina’s renewable energy program was defeated by a surprisingly wide margin on Wednesday, April 24 in a legislative committee chaired by the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Mike Hager (R-Rutherford). Those opposing the proposal cited concerns that it would hurt businesses and job creation in the state’s fast-growing clean energy industry. [...]
From the Florida Supreme Court to Bonnie Raitt concerts, Florida’s controversial “nuclear tax” is getting a lot of attention. On October 4th I, along with my SACE colleagues and attorneys, attended the oral arguments for our high-profile challenge of the cost recovery statute before the Florida Supreme Court. The “nuclear tax” refers to bad, anti-consumer [...]
This guest post was originally published in the Gainesville Sun on October 29, 2012. Francine Robinson chairs the Committee for Nuclear Responsibility for the Florida League of Conservation Voters. SACE’s high risk energy organizer, Mandy Hancock, attended the Oct. 31 hearing referenced below. This piece has been amended to include links to pertinent information, including media [...]
Today’s appointment of former Progress Energy CEO William Johnson as the new CEO of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is raising the eyebrows of clean energy advocates across the region, including here at SACE. Though willing to maintain an open mind, I’m surprised that TVA’s Board would hire Mr. Johnson with his controversial past. Of [...]
In early October, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy appeared before the Florida Supreme Court to support our argument that Section 366.93, Fla.Stat., which has been dubbed Florida’s “Nuclear Tax,” is not only extremely unfair to Florida Power & Light (FPL) and Progress Energy of Florida (PEF) customers, but more importantly that this early cost recovery [...]
Waterkeepers Take Legal Action to Stop Toxic Coal Ash from Contaminating Groundwater This blog was originally posted on EcoWatch’s website – click here for the original post. On October 10, conservation groups asked the N.C. Environmental Management Commission(EMC) to require Progress Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Carolinas to clean up groundwater contaminated by old, unlined coal ash [...]
In December of 2011, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy filed an appeal with the Florida State Supreme Court challenging the Florida Public Service Commission’s (PSC) November 2011 decision regarding advanced nuclear cost recovery for Progress Energy Florida (PEF – now merged with Duke Energy) and Florida Power & Light (FPL). The PSC approved a combined [...]
Last week, I wrote about the implications of the Duke-Progress merger on Florida energy efficiency programs. And while Duke’s programs in the Carolinas are better than in Florida, they are by no means “best practice” programs. Fortunately, we’ve got a settlement for that! Late last year, we worked with several allies to reach a settlement covering several [...]
Several weeks ago, I wrote about how the struggle for the future of utilities is reflected in the continuing drama of the Duke – Progress utility merger. I wrote on the occasion of a North Carolina investigation into the closure of the merger. With the drama of a CEO switch receding into yesterday’s news (perhaps), attention is [...]
Several weeks ago, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy’s John D. Wilson wrote about the continuing drama of the Duke – Progress utility merger that reflects an ongoing struggle for the future of utilities. It has been reported that concerns about Progress Energy’s management of its nuclear fleet were a source of friction between Duke and Progress [...]
