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Duke Energy gets poor marks on addressing climate policy

Duke Energy gets poor marks on addressing climate policy

CHARLOTTE — A report from a London think tank says Duke Energy Corp.’s record shows “largely negative engagement with climate-change policy,” ranking it in the lowest third of the United States’ 25 largest utilities for addressing the issue.

“While the company holds positive positions on some policies, such as the Solar Investment Tax Credit, it continues to advocate for the role of fossil gas in the energy mix,” says the U.S. Power Sector and Climate Policy report released April 13. “Duke also maintains membership in several industry groups whose lobbying appears misaligned from the goals of the Paris Agreement, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.”

The report is published by InfluenceMap, which describes itself as “an independent think tank that provides data and analysis on how business and finance are affecting the climate crisis.”

Duke spokesperson Erin Culbert contends the benchmarks that InfluenceMap uses are unrealistic. She says the nonprofit organization that publishes the report is “basically looking for full transition to renewables and removing natural gas from the energy mix.”

“I suspect that utilities with natural gas in their mix will naturally rate lower,” Culbert says. “I, of course, would note that retaining natural gas in the mix has helped us continue to deliver extremely reliable service to Carolinas customers at rates below the national average. And we’ll continue to need it in the mix to some degree while we’re retiring coal and adding vast amounts of renewables and energy storage.”

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(WATCH BELOW: Duke Energy looking to raise rates to recover cost of closing coal ash basins)

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