Report to Expose Duke Energy’s Real ‘Green Power Initiative’ in North Carolina

Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars in Contributions from Duke Energy PAC, Executives Traced to State-Level Candidates, Utility-Friendly State Lawmakers

RALEIGH, N.C., Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — At 11:30 a.m. ET on Thursday (February 5, 2009), four North Carolina groups will release a major new report detailing the statewide candidates and elected officials who have benefited from hundreds of thousands of dollars in political contributions in North Carolina by Duke Energy’s political action committee (PAC) and its top executives.

The North Carolina organizations joining together to release the report are: NC WARN (North Carolina Waste Awareness and Reduction Network, Durham, NC); The Canary Coalition (Sylva, NC); Southern Energy Network (Chapel Hill, N.C.); and Mountain Voices Alliance (Asheville, N.C.). The report is a comprehensive analysis of State Board of Elections data covering the period January 2005-November 2008.

News event speakers will be:

• Pete MacDowell, program director, NC WARN;
• Avram Friedman, executive director, The Canary Coalition;
• Russ Anderson, North Carolina campus coordinator, Southern Energy Network; and
• Grant Smith, executive director, Citizens Action Coalition, Indianapolis, IN.

The new report reveals multiple donations from Chairman/CEO Jim Rogers and about two thirds of Duke’s senior executive team. The contributions were made as Duke Energy sought favorable state action on a host of fiercely debated energy matters, including approvals for a new Cliffside coal fired power plant; approval of Senate Bill 3, which shifted much of the risk of building new power plants to the consumer; a possible nuclear plant just across the border in South Carolina; and the "Save-a-Watt" scheme the company touts as a tool to promote energy efficiency but which critics call a consumer rip-off that does very little to reduce demand for electricity.

TO PARTICIPATE: You can join this live, phone-based North Carolina/Duke Energy news conference (with full, two-way Q&A) at 11:30 a.m. ET on February 5, 2009 by dialing 1 (800) 860-2442. Ask for the "North Carolina/Duke Political Contributions" news event.

CAN’T PARTICIPATE?: A streaming audio recording of the news event will be available on the Web as of 6 p.m. ET on February 5, 2009.

ABOUT THE GROUPS

NC WARN (North Carolina Waste Awareness & Reduction Network) is a member-based nonprofit working to reduce damage to public health and the environment caused by industrial and radioactive pollution. Visit http://www.NCWARN.org on the Web.

The Canary Coalition is about family, friends and neighbors getting together to do something about the poor quality of the air they have been breathing in western North Carolina and the southern Appalachian region. Visit http://www.canarycoalition.org on the Web.

The mission of the Southern Energy Network is to build and facilitate an inclusive student- and youth-led movement in the Southeast that empowers communities, develops leaders, and promotes a clean, just, safe, and sustainable energy future. Visit http://www.climateaction.net on the Web.

Mountain Voices Alliance works to preserve and protect the environment, including the natural beauty, abundant resources, quality of life and cultural heritage of our communities. The organization achieves its goals by working with local governments, developers, organizations and individuals to encourage responsible and sustainable development that is in the best interest of citizens, visitors, and future generations. Visit http://www.MVAlliance.net on the Web.

SOURCE NC WARN (North Carolina Waste Awareness and Reduction Network, Durham, NC); The Canary Coalition (Sylva, NC); Southern Energy Network (Chapel Hill, N.C.); Mountain Voices Alliance (Asheville, N.C.)