Early this morning, Tim Moore forced North Carolina General Assembly members back after midnight to vote on the backroom energy deal despite concerns from within his own caucus. 

“If sunlight is the best disinfectant, then it is no surprise that a deal drafted behind closed doors by Duke Energy for Duke Energy was passed on a slim margin in the cover of darkness – at 12:07 a.m.,” said NCDP Spokesperson Rachel Stein. “North Carolinians deserve transparency and public policy crafted in the best interests of working families. Tim Moore and Republican leadership care more about pleasing political donors than protecting the people of this state.” 

After Governor Cooper and House Democrats and advocates for ratepayers and the environment were excluded from the legislative process, the 48-page bill that will shape energy policy for decades was only first made public yesterday. The backroom deal will lead to higher electricity rates because it takes authority away from the North Carolina Utilities Commission that regulates Duke Energy and other power providers and limits its ability to prevent unfair rate setting. It also locks North Carolina into dirty greenhouse energy instead of supporting clean energy initiatives which would create jobs and contain costs. 

Duke Energy contributed more than $346,000 to North Carolina Legislative Republicans last cycle and now it is clear why.