Skip to main content

NC Lawmakers Override Veto to Pass Energy Bill That Raises Costs for Households and Eliminates Duke’s 2030 Climate Target

Backed by former Duke Energy executive and corporate-funded dark money campaign, SB 266 shifts financial risk to families, weakens clean energy progress, and prioritizes profit over people.

Today, the North Carolina General Assembly voted to override Governor Josh Stein’s veto of Senate Bill 266, allowing it to become law. Despite being labeled the “Power Bill Reduction Act,” this legislation will do the opposite for most North Carolinians—raising energy costs for households, eliminating Duke Energy’s requirement to reduce climate pollution by 70% by 2030, and slowing our state’s transition to clean, affordable energy.

SB 266, introduced by Senator Paul Newton, a former President of Duke Energy North Carolina until 2015, grants new authority to utilities like Duke Energy to charge customers during the construction of new power plants—even before those plants generate a single watt of electricity. The bill also eliminates the state’s interim climate target of a 70% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.

Independent studies, including one from NC State University and filings from Duke’s own Public Staff, project that this bill will cost North Carolina households billions of dollars between now and 2050. Costs will shift away from industrial users and onto residential customers—especially low-income families already burdened by high energy bills.

“This vote was a betrayal of North Carolina families in favor of corporate profit,” said Shannon Binns, Executive Director of Sustain Charlotte. “Lawmakers have handed Duke Energy a blank check—allowing them to build power plants without ensuring they’re necessary, then charge us for them before they produce a single watt of energy. It’s a stunning example of money overpowering the public interest, and it will cost us dearly in health, equity, and climate resilience.”

The House override was made possible by two Mecklenburg County Democrats – Representatives Nasif Majeed and Carla Cunningham – who broke from their party to vote with Republicans. Their votes delivered the exact supermajority needed to override Governor Stein’s veto. Both lawmakers have received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Duke Energy’s PAC over the years.

Just three days after SB 266 was introduced, an energy industry-backed dark money group launched a targeted campaign to sway key Democratic legislators and their constituents through misleading ads and emails. As documented by the Energy and Policy Institute, this anonymous effort was designed to obscure the bill’s true impact and protect utility profits at the expense of transparency and accountability.

Impacts of SB 266 at a Glance:

  • Raises utility bills for residential customers, shifting more costs to households—up to $87 million/year statewide.

  • Eliminates Duke Energy’s 2030 carbon reduction goal, delaying clean energy deployment and increasing fossil fuel reliance.

  • Lets Duke charge customers upfront for expensive power plants that may not even be completed or necessary.

  • Worsens energy burdens for low-income communities and disproportionately harms residents with the least financial flexibility.

Call to Action

Sustain Charlotte is calling for:

  1. Full transparency in campaign contributions and dark-money campaigns influencing state policy.

  2. Accountability for elected officials who prioritize utility profits over the people they represent.

  3. Stronger protections for ratepayers, including independent oversight of energy policy decisions and financing mechanisms.

“We urge North Carolinians to remember this vote when they head to the ballot box,” said Binns. “Local and state lawmakers shape our energy future—and we must hold them accountable when they fail to protect the public interest.”

###

Sustain Charlotte is a local 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to create a more equitable, healthy, and connected community by inspiring responsible growth and transportation choices. We advance this mission by partnering with neighborhood residents, community leaders, government agencies, local and regional officials, academic institutions, businesses, and nonprofits alike, all with the objective of forging solutions through collaboration. https://sustaincharlotte.org/