GREENSBORO - Coal ash community members along with environmental and public health advocates are rallying Wednesday afternoon in Greensboro to oppose Duke Energy's request to raise customers’ rates.
WANT TO PUT YOUR TWO CENTS IN? NC UTILITIES COMMISSION CONSUMER COMPLAINT & COMMENTS
The rally is a call for the North Carolina Utilities Commission to reject the rate hike for Duke's coal ash cleanup. Duke believes it will cost about $3 billion to clean up its ash coal spill - which could rise to $8 billion over 40 years. In 2016, Duke agreed to pay a $6 million fine for a big spill that coated the Dan River with liquefied coal ash in 2014.
The spill coated 70 miles of the river on the North Carolina-Virginia border in more than 30,000 tons of sludge after a pipe burst at a holding pit at Duke Energy’s power plant in Eden.
In August, Duke Energy asked state regulators for a rate increase totaling $647 million, representing a 13.6 percent average rate increase for all groups of customers.
A public hearing will start at 7 p.m. at the Guilford County Courthouse on Eugene St.
The rally and press conference are a collaborative event from Sierra Club, the Green Party, Democracy Greensboro, Democratic Socialists of America, the NAACP, NC Warn, Down Home NC, and student groups from UNC Greensboro and North Carolina A&T.
- WHEN: 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 24
- WHERE: Guilford County Courthouse, Courtroom 1C, 201 S. Eugene St., Greensboro
► Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the WFMY News 2 App now
