Yesterday, while North Carolina families “voiced strong opposition” to Duke Energy’s rate hike request at a public hearing and said they “already struggle to afford their monthly bills,” DC insider and former Duke Energy Lobbyist Michael Whatley once again refused to condemn the rate hikes, despite being directly asked. 

Whatley has up to $445,000 invested in Duke Energy and would stand to see “boost[ed] profits” from a rate hike. His refusal to denounce the rate hike comes a week after North Carolinians “call[ed] into question Whatley’s ties to Duke Energy,” urging him to sell his stock and condemn the company’s rate increase.

Recent reporting also exposed Whatley for spending more than a decade lobbying for utility companies including Duke Energy and “argu[ing] in favor of rate increases.” 

“As North Carolina families face skyrocketing costs and speak out about Duke Energy’s proposed rate hike, DC insider Michael Whatley has yet again refused to condemn it,” said NCDP senior communications advisor Mallory Payne. “As a Duke Energy Lobbyist, Whatley worked to raise rates on families and now he continues to profit from the up to $445,000 in Duke Energy stock he owns. Whatley sold out working families for a payday. He can’t be trusted to fight for North Carolinians in the U.S. Senate.”

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