Remember when our bought and paid for elected leaders
let Duke Energy purchase of Piedmont Natural Gas?
"...The proposed rate hike would affect about 2 million customers from Durham to the western part of the state, including the Triad, and amount to $647 million in new annual revenue.
What's $647 million, compared to how little money it took
to purchase the legislators
who appointed the members of the N.C. Utilities Commission
to grant the request of our monopoly energy company
The request was submitted to the N.C. Utilities Commission...
A few of many Duke Energy Contributions to North Carolina Candidates, 2016 cycle,
all after the HB2 fiasco which lost thousands of NC jobs,
and now ahead of a major tax increase authorized by these folks' minions
on the Utilities Commission;
The Philip E. Berger Committee $5,100.00
Committee to Elect John Faircloth $3,000.00
Friends of Trudy Wade $8,000.00
Jon Hardister for NC House $1,000.00
Adams for NC House $2,000.00
Berry for Commissioner of Labor $4,000.00
Bishop for Senate $4,000.00
Bumgardner for NC House $5,000.00
Committee to Elect Chad Barefoot $7,000.00
Committee to Elect Dan Forest $5,100.00
Friends of Tim Moore $5,100.00
...The utility projects a residential customer who uses 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity monthly would pay about $122.68, reflecting an increase of $18.72.
Taxation is theft
The utility also wants to raise its rate by an average of 10.9 percent on commercial and industrial customers in that region.
A tax hike which will be passed on to consumers
through higher prices
Duke Energy Carolinas separately filed a request for commission approval to halt its Lee nuclear plant project near Gaffney, S.C.
The Charlotte Observer reported the utility wants to be allowed to recoup up to $636 million in Lee project development costs from customers. The recouping would represent $53 million of the $647 million annual revenue increase for a 12-year period.
Instead of stock holders taking the hit for Duke's fuck up,
they want to hit its customers instead of decreasing its dividend
...The rate increase will help the utility pay for compliance with state and federal regulations involving managing coal ash since 2015, Fountain said.
Duke Energy want's to charge customers
for mismanagement and environmental harm
...In April, the NC Conservation Network filed a petition with the utilities commission about separating the coal ash costs from any rate increase request by Duke Energy.
“The cost and responsibility for coal ash storage and disposal remains a complex issue which deserves special attention,” the advocacy group said. “North Carolina ratepayers need clarity and transparency as Duke Energy seeks to raise our rates to pay for its coal ash problems.”
...Duke Energy contends the great majority of its coal ash cleanup costs across North Carolina — expected eventually to top $4.5 billion — are part of the routine life cycle of its 14 active and retired coal-fired plants.
Bullshit
Meanwhile, N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein and other intervenors, including the Sierra Club, Appalachian State University and the Carolina Utility Customers Association, argued that Duke Energy’s coal ash dilemma simply contains too many factors that utility executives brought on themselves, or that otherwise beg closer examination than the company’s proposed bookkeeping maneuver suggests.
http://www.greensboro.com/business/local_business/duke-energy-requests-percent-rate-hike-on-residential-customers/article_94ac2bf0-2d76-5038-ab9f-87f6d3f135d1.html
Duke Energy Contributions to Federal Candidates, 2016 cycle
Burr, Richard (R-NC) $10,000
Tillis, Thom (R-NC) $2,500
Walker, Mark (R-NC) $4,000
Adams, Alma (D-NC) $3,000
Budd, Ted (R-NC) $1,000
Butterfield, G K (D-NC) $1,000
Ellmers, Renee (R-NC) $5,000
Foxx, Virginia (R-NC) $5,000
Holding, George (R-NC) $9,000
Hudson, Richard (R-NC) $8,000
Jones, Walter (R-NC) $2,000
McHenry, Patrick (R-NC) $10,000
Meadows, Mark R (R-NC) $2,000
Pittenger, Robert (R-NC)$4,000
Price, David (D-NC) $1,000
Rouzer, David (R-NC) $5,500
http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2016/05/pat-mccrory-has-blood-on-his-hands-duke.html
GN&R Editorial Board Shamefull Propaganda Spin on Duke and Progress Layoffs?
http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2011/09/gn-editorial-board-shamefull-propaganda.html
"Pruning begins at Duke Energy, Progress"
http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2010/01/begins-at-duke-energy-progress_16.html
"Progress Energy Lobbyist Dies in Auto Fire Inside Garage"
http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2010/01/energy-lobbyist-dies-in-auto-fire.html
"Rep. Dan Bishop Applauds Overwhelming Passage of the “Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act,” [HB2] Urges Governor McCrory to Sign the Measure" and some of his 2016 campaign contributors, who, by not asking for their money back, are supporters of bigotry and employment discrimination in North Carolina
DUKE ENERGY CORP PAC
550 S TRYON ST, DEC37D
CHARLOTTE, NC 28202
http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2016/04/rep-dan-bishop-applauds-overwhelming.html
On the possible motives to have voted for and/or signed HB2 into North Carolina law
Duke Power/Energy probably wouldn't mind making more money from more profitable businesses who don't have to pay more for labor than absolutely necessary.
http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2016/04/on-possible-motives-to-have-voted-for_3.html
How Duke Energy helped sell the City of Greensboro on the Randolph Megasite project
http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/12/how-duke-energy-helped-sell-city-of.html
Yes Weekly and Hartzman on Greensboro's DC lobbyist.
So the City pays its share, and taxpayers fund the Partnership, who pays the other portion, so taxpayers are funding a lobbyist for Roy Carroll, Jim Melvin, Koury and Marty Kotis.
Pillsbury also represents Duke Energy, so Pillsbury is working to prevent North Carolina from cleaning up its coal ash mess.
Pillsbury also represents Bank of America, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, UBS and Wells Fargo
http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2014/12/yes-weekly-and-hartzman-on-greensboros.html
If Greensboro's new federal lobbyist "represents clients in the energy, environmental, financial services, aviation, and health care sectors and provides counsel to clients involved in congressional investigations"...?
Has Mr. Saperstein worked to increase NC taxpayer energy costs
for clients Duke Power and Progress Energy?
Has Mr. Saperstein worked to eliminate NC jobs
by lobbying for clients Duke Power and Progress Energy's merger?
http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2011/12/if-greensboro-new-federal-lobbyist.html
GN&R Editorial Board Shamefull Propaganda Spin on Duke and Progress Layoffs?
"...Progress Energy, headquartered in Raleigh,
...Duke Energy, which is anchored in Charlotte.
Combined, they’ll serve more than 7 million customers, including most residents and businesses in North Carolina.
Why would some utility company executives
want to work at state and federal regulatory agencies
and why would some retired regulators
want to work for the companies they regulated?
http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2011/09/gn-editorial-board-shamefull-propaganda.html
Sometimes I wonder
whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on,
or by imbeciles who really mean it.
Mark Twain
"Pruning begins at Duke Energy, Progress"
http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2010/01/begins-at-duke-energy-progress_16.html
"Progress Energy Lobbyist Dies in Auto Fire Inside Garage"
http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2010/01/energy-lobbyist-dies-in-auto-fire.html
"The Merger of State and Commerce"
http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-merger-of-state-and-commerce.html
The Phil Berger's Big Lie
http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-phil-bergers-big-lie.html
From Howard Coble's 2013 Contributions; Whoever wins District 6 gets access to this kind of money
DUKE ENERGY PAC
http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2014/02/from-howard-cobles-2013-contributions.html