Duke Energy

I guess it makes sense. If your "vision" is to have a governor who will suppress voting rights and discriminate against gays and lesbians, then by all means, let the awards begin! Congratulations, Mr. Rogers. It takes a big guy to pollute the planet, subvert democracy, and screw over your gay employees all in one career.

Only in Mitt Romney's world where corporations are people does it all make sense.

This week the NC Justice Center, NC WARN and the NC Housing Coalition challenged the proposed Duke Energy rate hike settlement that the NC Utilities Commission Public Staff is supporting. The organizations are highlighting how unfair the proposal for a 7.21% rate increase is to residential and most business customers, because the rate allocation method is biased to accommodate energy hogging industries.

There is nothing, not one damn thing, to be gained by the citizens of North Carolina in the merger of Duke Energy and Progress Energy.

We close the year as we started it, with one of the nation's largest public companies refusing to fight against laws that make gays and lesbians second-class citizens. CEO Jim Rogers has declined every opportunity to say that Duke Energy will not give campaign contributions to marriage bigots like Pat McCrory. At least we now know where the company stands: squarely against equality and fairness.

And tip-toes around the answer.

Thanks to Citizens United, the sign currently in front of the Governor's Mansion is a For Sale sign. If Pat McCrory were to get his way, however, we'd soon see a more ominous sign out front. Though some carbonistas would love to see that happen, most sane people understand that the interests of Duke Energy and the interests of We the People have almost no commonality.

For talking out of both sides of their mouth on the mercury issue:

“Given your stated preparedness for the rule, we are puzzled by Duke Energy’s potential affiliation with the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council. As you may know, the ERCC is aggressively seeking to delay and weaken much-needed federal mercury protections.”

Here's a little background on ERCC, for those who can stomach it:

When it comes to working from a base of facts about renewable energy in North Carolina, it's a battle of two Dukes. Duke Energy would have us believe their coal-dirty hands are tied and alternatives are impractical. Duke University, on the other hand, seems to suggest that Duke Energy is full of crap.

When you're in a clear-thinking state of mind, download Myths and Facts about Electricity in the South (pdf) and read it cover to cover. You'll come to grip with six myths.

Damn it. If you're going to stage a hostile takeover of state government,
the least you can do it come clean about your agenda.

A by-the-numbers look at Duke Energy's controversial rate hike proposal -- which comes as the company is earning huge profits and avoiding federal income taxes -- from the Institute for Southern Studies:

INSTITUTE INDEX: Duke Energy's cold-hearted rate hike request