RALEIGH — Conservatives for Clean Energy’s President and CEO Mark Fleming issued the following statement regarding the N.C. General Assembly’s passage of House Bill 951, Energy Solutions for North Carolina:
Conservatives for Clean Energy congratulates Senate & House Republicans for their efforts in developing and passing this bipartisan energy bill. Although far from perfect, we are grateful to the leaders involved in the final negotiations for making substantial improvements to House Bill 951, which will advance and deliver cleaner, more affordable energy sources for all North Carolinians.
However, we are very disappointed that House Bill 951 does not include much needed regulatory reforms of our state’s outdated, monopoly-controlled electricity system, which was put into place close to 100 years ago. North Carolina ratepayers deserve a serious discussion on the current utility business model and this bill sadly fell short on that important issue. We strongly urge members of the N.C. General Assembly, N.C. Utilities Commission and relevant stakeholders to take immediate steps towards a more innovative, affordable and competitive energy market in North Carolina that will better serve and benefit customers. We hope to see more conservatives in the General Assembly leading on Representative Larry Strickland’s market competition bill (HB611) in the days ahead.