Press release from Sunrise Movement Asheville:
Sunrise Movement Asheville, a local chapter of a national youth-led climate justice movement, will hold a rally in protest of Duke Energy’s proposed rate hike, which organizers stand strongly against. Organizers will also call for a moratorium on all fossil fuel projects in North Carolina, including the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The rally also stands in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en land defenders blocking Coastal GasLink pipeline, the Lumbee people who would be affected by the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, and other indigenous groups fighting harmful fossil fuel projects. Speakers for this event include Kim Roney, community organizer and candidate for Asheville City Council, Suzannah Park with Community Roots, and Chloe Moore of Sunrise Asheville.
WHO: Sunrise Movement Asheville, activists, and organizers from local groups
WHAT: Rally before the Duke Rate Hike Hearing
WHERE: Buncombe County Courthouse
WHEN: Starting at 5PM on Thursday March 12th, 2020
WHY: Local organizers with Sunrise Movement Asheville, in partnership with Asheville DSA and Extinction Rebellion, will host a demonstration outside of this week’s previously postponed Rate Hike Hearing held by Duke Energy. In response to legislation forcing Duke to clean up coal ash from unlined pits, Duke is proposing to pass the cost onto ratepayers. Local organizers feel this cost burden should be shouldered by the corporation who’s responsible for this damage. Duke has been in litigation for many years over their treatment of coal ash, and organizers argue that the writing has been on the wall that coal ash is toxic and must be contained with the utmost care. Because Duke did not meet these requirements when the spent coal ash was originally contained, collect billions in revenue, and pay their CEO millions each year, Sunrise Movement Asheville contends that they should pay to repair the damage without passing the burden off to the people. In this moment when the coronavirus is threatening the well-being and economic stability of millions people in the US, the Trump administration is responding with a proposal to bailout oil and gas companies whose stocks are plunging. It is now more apparent than ever why we need to come together to block all new fossil fuel infrastructure, and pass a Green New Deal to invest massively in public health infrastructure, build social and economic safety nets, and employ millions of people to transform our society in order to stabilize our economy and our climate.
I will happily support the proposed rate increase if, and only if, Duke commits to investing all of it in new renewables, ash cleanup and phasing out existing coal generation. I sympathize with the anger at past inaction but ineffective attempts to punish will not help combat climate change.