[Eenc-board] [Fwd: [durhamenviro] NC WARN: NC residents need straight talk from Duke Energy (Herald-Sun)]

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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	[durhamenviro] NC WARN: NC residents need straight talk from 
Duke Energy (Herald-Sun)
Date: 	Tue, 12 Feb 2008 04:47:40 -0800 (PST)
From: 	John Schelp <bwatu at yahoo.com>
Reply-To: 	durhamenviro at yahoogroups.com
To: 	bwatu at yahoo.com



Column: North Carolina residents need straight talk
from Duke Energy
By Jim Warren, NC WARN [based in Old West Durham]
Herald-Sun, 10 Feb 2008

Climate change is causing extensive damage at an
accelerating rate. Oxfam International reports that
weather disasters have quadrupled in 20 years with a
quarter billion people impacted annually. Arctic Sea
ice could be gone by summer 2012, further disrupting
weather systems. And the world's top scientists
recently amplified their call for urgent reduction of
greenhouse gases.

Yet, Duke Energy is beginning construction of a large
coal-fired power plant near Charlotte using crafty
public relations to imply the new Cliffside plant will
be "good for the environment."

With its Jan. 29 approval of the plant, Gov. Mike
Easley's administration joined Duke's PR campaign. The
trick: Masking the new unit's pollution behind
upgrades already required by state law at an existing
Cliffside furnace.

Also central to the ruse is the assertion that the new
unit would be cleaner than the four older ones to be
retired. But those four furnaces combined are less
than one-quarter the size of the new 800 megawatt
unit, and they sit idle most of the time.

Following state approval, the deception increased as
Duke ran an open letter from CEO Jim Rogers in
full-page ads across its service area. Included are
nine references to "global warming" and related terms,
plus a statement that Cliffside will "eliminate 90
percent of regulated emissions." Since no other
pollutant is mentioned, readers are led to believe the
reduction refers to greenhouse gases.

In truth, the new unit would discharge 6 million tons
of uncontrolled carbon dioxide each year. That's more
than 12 times more than the small units to be retired,
along with 10 times more mercury and 13 to 50-fold
increases of other toxic metals such as arsenic.

Cliffside could fail before completion, as did six
nuclear plants Duke tried to build in the 1980s. The
project is particularly risky for stockholders and
electricity customers due to an unstable energy market
and global economy. Cliffside's cost estimate has
already doubled to $2.4 billion dollars. Upcoming
carbon regulation will drive power bills even higher,
and Wall Street is reacting by tightening financing of
coal-fired power. (Rogers supports carbon regulation
for others, but is lobbying for Cliffside to be
exempted.)

Dozens of U.S. coal-power projects have been cancelled
and are being offset by efficient, renewable energy
alternatives that are proving highly successful in the
free marketplace, even as coal and nuclear rely on
billions in public subsidies.

The state doesn't need more electricity generation. We
need to stop wasting half of what is produced, as we
belatedly must do with water. A 2007 state study
confirmed we can easily save enough energy to offset
growing demand, while expanding renewables and
creating tens of thousands of jobs. For far less than
Cliffside's price tag, solar water heating could be
added to every home in the region, nullifying the need
for new plants.

Duke CEO Rogers talks about energy efficiency. But his
long-delayed efficiency proposal seems designed for
Duke to make exorbitant profit from modest programs,
limit widespread energy efficiency, and provide PR
cover to build coal and nuclear plants.

As the nation's foremost climate expert, NASA's James
Hansen, emphasizes: The best thing North Carolina can
do to tackle accelerating climate change is to cancel
this veritable global warming machine. We must do our
part here, so the U.S. can help developing countries
avoid repeating our mistakes.

Recognizing the gravity of climate change, a statewide
coalition of nonprofits cannot afford to rest until
Cliffside is stopped. We don't have time to wait for
Duke's vague promise to become carbon neutral in a
decade or so, because the new plant alone would offset
most statewide efforts to reduce CO2.

People across North Carolina must continue calling on
CEO Jim Rogers to be straight with the public, and
walk his green talk by cancelling this unnecessary
plant. And we must demand that our leaders stand up to
the giant power companies that have long used their
financial influence and deceptive propaganda to stifle
democratic decision-making.

Jim Warren is executive director of NC WARN

Online: www.ncwarn.org

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