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Duke Energy Wants Coal Ash Costs Passed To Consumers

WUNC News | By Laura Pellicer,
Frank Stasio
Published November 30, 2017 at 12:31 PM EST
Duke Energy wants to pass the cost of coal ash cleanup on to consumers. Pictured here, the Dan River bank with residual dark grey coal ash after coal ash spill.
Steven Alexander
/
USFWS
Duke Energy wants to pass the cost of coal ash cleanup on to consumers. Pictured here, the Dan River bank with residual dark grey coal ash after coal ash spill.

Duke Energy argued this week in hearings before the North Carolina Utilities Commission that the cost of cleaning up coal ash spills should be passed on to consumers. 

WUNC daily news producer Will Michaels talks about the proposed Duke Energy rate increase. Duke Energy is asking for rate hikes that would also factor in the costs of distributing water bottles to customers who live near coal ash pits. WUNC daily news producer Will Michaels says Duke Energy is falling back on its enduring argument that consumers benefited from affordable coal electricity for decades, and that the rate increase is justified.

Michaels shares stories from Duke Energy consumers who are not convinced by the company’s rationale.  

Copyright 2017 North Carolina Public Radio
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Laura Pellicer
Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.
See stories by Laura Pellicer
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio