Energy in the News

Critics blast measure allowing other plants

By: Margaret Lillard

Associated Press

RALEIGH --North Carolina inched a step closer to becoming the first Southeastern state to make its utilities use renewable fuels and energy conservation under a bill that won preliminary House approval Monday.

The highly touted energy act requires the state's utilities to provide 12.5 percent of their retail electricity from renewable fuel and efficiency measures by 2017.

It cleared its first full House vote 108-11, and needs final House approval and Senate concurrence before Gov. Mike Easley can sign it into law.

Critics have complained in committee hearings about sections of the measure that would allow the construction of traditional power plants to be financed at ratepayers' expense.

But those complaints have largely been set aside as most lawmakers accepted that North Carolina's growth -- and growing demand for electricity -- can't be met by conservation and alternative fuel sources alone.

"I have been, somewhat, in the past a harsh critic of this bill," said Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford, who introduced a House version of the measure that offered only a renewable-efficiency portfolio standard.

"I have issues with the baseload (financing) being in the renewables bill, but I think that's the trade-off we took to get renewable energy in North Carolina," Harrison said.

"The alternative of not passing this bill is more business as usual, which is more coal and nuclear."

Once enacted, the measure would make North Carolina the first Southeastern state with a mandatory renewable portfolio standard, according to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. Virginia has a voluntary renewables goal for its utilities.