North Carolina business leaders alarmed by attack on renewable energy

House Bill Would Harm State’s Economy, Pull Rug Out from Under Burgeoning Renewable Energy

Rolling back North Carolina’s highly successful Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (REPS) will hurt the economy, hurt consumers and hurt job growth in the state, business owners and advocates said in a press conference call Monday.

As early as this week, lawmakers in North Carolina are expected to consider taking the next step toward repealing the REPS under House Bill 298. Ironically, attempts to repeal the renewable standard come just as the state is trumpeting its renewable energy growth at the 10th annual Sustainable Energy Conference in Raleigh, sponsored by the N.C. Department of Commerce.

Betsy McCorkle, director of government affairs of the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association, said, “If H298 passes, it will virtually eliminate the market for new renewable energy projects, since a free market does not exist where clean energy can compete head to head with the utilities.