The North Carolina Council of Churches advocates for just and compassionate public policy in North Carolina, and North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light, a program of the Council, brings that advocacy work to issues of climate change and energy.
We recognize that while personal and congregational change in energy consumption is necessary, it will be insufficient to halt the worst consequences global warming unless structural change is implemented at all levels of society. While the news can be overwhelming, despair and cynicism are disempowering. Our faith traditions call us to create a just and peaceful world, and the fundamental requirement for such a vision is a healthy and self-sustaining natural world. The requirement for attaining such a positive vision for us, and all generations who follow, is to engage in the political process.
This will be a critical year for North Carolina’s energy future. Duke Energy and Progress plan to introduce legislation in the General Assembly that will give them authority to raise electricity rates to pay for pre-construction costs of new base load power plants, including nuclear plants, without going through the regulatory review process at the NC Utilities Commission. This legislation goes by the acronym Super CWIP (for construction work in progress). As evidenced by the problems that Progress Energy Florida is having with their nuclear plant proposal, North Carolina legislators should not go down this unwise road. In fact Florida is already trying to reverse their SCWIP legislation.
Last year the NC Council of Churches’ Governing Board passed a Resolution opposing such legislation. The Resolution is based on the twin moral duties of justice and compassion towards the least among us, who will be severely impacted by the economic and environmental costs of this policy.
NC IPL is part of a coalition called Consumers Against Rate Hikes (CARH). We have identified leadership in both the Democratic and Republican parties, committee chairs, and members who are crucial to our work and hopefully will be willing to act to prevent Super CWIP legislation from getting out of committee.
NCIPL needs your help if you are in one of the key legislative districts in the counties below.
- Alexander
- Ashe
- Buncombe
- Catawba
- Durham
- Forsyth
- Gaston
- Guilford
- Haywood
- Iredell
- Lincoln
- Madison
- Mecklenburg
- New Hanover
- Orange
- Pender
- Wake
- Wayne
We ask that you consider becoming active in our grassroots lobbying campaign either directly and/or by referring us to like-minded friends and associates. We will provide any support and training necessary about the issues involved and about the process of lobbying. We hope to recruit other members from the Council and NCIPL to help by forming teams in each district composed of both lay and pastoral leaders. Please contact me directly at (828) 645-0469 or firepeople@main.nc.us
— Richard Fireman, NC IPL Public Policy Advisor
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