North Carolina Proposes Fresh Bill to Freeze Renewable Energy Mandate

Another bill aiming to freeze North Carolina’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (REPS) at 6% has passed the state Senate Finance Committee.

House Bill number 332 was pushed through in a controversial manner according to local reports, with some senators claiming there was a majority voting against the bill rather than for it.

If brought into law, the Bill would freeze the amount that utility companies are mandated to buy from renewable energy generators at 6%, instead of increasing to 10% by 2018 and 12.5% by 2021.

Bill Would Cut Short NC’s Green-Energy Law

The green-energy mandate that has helped make North Carolina the fourth-largest solar state would be cut short under a bill filed this week by state House leaders.

The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard, called REPS, was the first in the Southeast when lawmakers adopted it in 2007.

The law says utilities have to generate increasing amounts of energy from the sun, wind and organic wastes, or from energy efficiency. It set an ultimate green-energy target of 12.5 percent of retail sales by 2021.

Shady Attacks on Renewable Energy in North Carolina

North Carolina’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (REPS) is under attack and it’s no surprise that the fight is led by fossil fuel power funded lobbyists. It’s the usual suspects: American Legislative Council Exchange (ALEC), John Locke Foundation and Americans for Prosperity (AFP)–all activist groups funded by fossil fuel and nuclear interests. These groups are leading a misinformation campaign to repeal the REPS, a state policy that drives clean energy development for North Carolina.