Raleigh protests planned against Duke Energy's new coal plant, for climate leadership

Raleigh is the site of two upcoming protests related to the climate crisis -- one targeting Duke Energy's proposed rate hike to build a new coal-fired power plant, and the other calling for stronger climate leadership from North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue.



A rally opposing Duke Energy's request for a 13.5 percent residential rate increase is set for Monday, Oct. 19 at noon on the mall outside the Dobbs Building at 430 N. Salisbury St. The event is scheduled to take place immediately before a 1 p.m. hearing of the North Carolina Utilities Commission on the rate hike proposal.

Duke Energy is requesting the rate increase in part to pay $1 billion in upfront costs for a new coal-fired power plant under construction at its Cliffside facility in Rutherford County, N.C. If approved, the rate increase would come on top of a 4.5 percent rate hike for fuel costs that the N.C. Public Utilities Commission recently OK'd.

Though Raleigh residents are not served by Charlotte-based Duke Energy, they will be affected by pollution from the new 800-megawatt Cliffside plant. The facility is expected to emit over 6 million tons of carbon dioxide annually as well as considerable amounts of toxic air pollution.

The Oct. 19 rally is being organized by the Stop Cliffside campaign, a network of grassroots groups including the N.C. Waste Awareness and Reduction Network, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and N.C. Interfaith Power & Light.

N.C. WARN recently filed a legal intervention with the state Utilities Commission over Duke Energy's plans to sell power to new customers in South Carolina. Duke had originally said the new Cliffside unit was critical for handling growth within its existing service area.

Anyone who has not testified at the previous hearings regarding Duke Energy's proposed rate hike is eligible to speak at the hearing, and speakers are asked to limit testimony to no more than three minutes. People can also submit comments in writing via e-mail to Utilities Commission Chair Ed Finley at finley@ncuc.net. Reference docket number E-7 Sub909.

In other news on climate action in Raleigh, there will be a March for Climate Leadership on Saturday, Oct. 24, the International Day of Climate Action. The march will begin at 2 p.m. with a gathering in Moore Square downtown at the corner of South Blount and East Hargett streets, followed by a 3 p.m. march up Wilmington Street to the parking lot across from the Governor's Mansion on East Jones Street, where there will be a rally with speakers from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

Some of the protesters will deliver a "Call to Leadership and Conscience" to Gov. Perdue, risking arrest to do so. For more details on the Oct. 24 event, click here.

(Poster for Oct. 24 Raleigh climate protest from www.350.org.)

Neuse River fall cleanup set for Saturday, Oct. 10

The Neuse River's fall cleanup is set for Saturday, Oct. 10, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. rain or shine. For more details on the event, check out the Neuse River Foundation's website. This NRF photo from April's spring cleanup of the Neuse shows the trash collected from under the bridge at the Poole Road canoe launch site in Southeast Raleigh.