Sen. Harry Brown, R-Onslow, is convinced large wind energy projects, such as the Amazon Wind Farm near Elizabeth City, hinder the military’s ability to conduct low-level flight training missions in North Carolina. He also thinks construction of new wind facilities could hurt the state in a future Base Realignment and Closing process. Brown and others...
Rep. Chuck McGrady, R-Hendersonville, won’t seek re-election when his term expires next year. He’s now serving his fifth term in the N.C. House. “Serving in the North Carolina House of Representatives has been one of the greatest honors of my life; my gratitude to the people of Henderson County for providing me with that opportunity...
The House passed its $24.5 billion General Fund budget for 2019-20 by a 61-54 margin Thursday, May 2, after spending three hours wrestling with 34 amendments. If House Bill 966, the 2019 Appropriations Act, passes a third reading Friday it will head to the Senate. Democrats hoped they would have more success before the full...
Dr. Donald van der Vaart, John Locke Foundation senior fellow, discusses the role renewable energy plays in North Carolina. Van der Vaart offered these comments during the April 25, 2019, episode of UNC-TV’s “ncIMPACT.”
The N.C. Association of Educators union is urging public school teachers across the state to skip school on May 1 to take part in a march and rally in Raleigh. Terry Stoops, John Locke Foundation vice president for research and director of education studies, analyzes the union’s goals. He also discusses the potential impact of...
The only thing more worrying than the federal government’s recent announcement that the debt had reached $22 trillion, or 104 percent of GDP, was that it generated such little attention. In the 1980s and 1990s, by contrast, the issue was a central feature of the national conversation. Congressional leaders from both parties crafted a series...
Two executive orders President Donald Trump signed Wednesday, April 10, could expedite completion of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and other interstate energy transmission projects that have been delayed by state regulators. Pipeline permit-delaying tactics by officials in Washington, D.C., and New York influenced Trump’s decision to sign the executive orders. Energy companies also have pressured...
Duke Energy intends to challenge a state Department of Environmental Quality order to excavate all its coal ash pits, saying it would impose undue financial harm. Duke, one of the nation’s largest power providers, announced its decision in a news release Thursday, April 11, 10 days after DEQ ordered Duke to excavate all of its...
Dr. Donald van der Vaart, John Locke Foundation senior fellow, discusses the impact of government policy on N.C. solar energy costs. Van der Vaart offered these comments during an interview with Donna Martinez for Carolina Journal Radio.
Roughly $1.25 billion. That’s how much Duke Energy customers will be overpaying for electricity over the next 10 to 15 years. We can thank North Carolina law — and Gov. Roy Cooper — for the higher bills that come with long-term solar energy contracts Duke has been forced to accept. That’s not only bad for...
Gov. Roy Cooper and his staff laid out a comprehensive plan to sell the public on the approval of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and a $57.8 million discretionary fund connected to the project, documents show. The parties involved in this PR campaign included the N.C. Democratic Party, Cooper’s campaign manager, the state Department of Environmental...
