Update on SB 266 Veto Override

NC lawmakers are locking NC’s residential customers into decades of higher energy costs for the benefit of Duke Energy and large industrial customers.

Thank you to the advocates who rallied against SB 266 and your commitment to a more affordable, cleaner energy future for North Carolina. Unfortunately, this harmful bill became law Tuesday, July 29, when the NC House and Senate overturned Governor Stein’s veto. These lawmakers are locking North Carolina’s residential customers into decades of higher energy costs for the benefit of Duke Energy and large industrial customers.

“Energy prices are determined by a number of complicated factors, but the veto override in the state legislature July 29 is simple: Residential customers’ energy prices will go up because lawmakers sided with corporate interests and made SB 266 law,” said Claire Williamson, Senior Policy Advocate at the NC Justice Center.

Over the past several months, we worked with community partners — and with YOU — to oppose this bill, deploying a range of strategies including educating lawmakers, op-eds, letters to the editor, and quotes in multiple news articles. A robust advocacy campaign like this is only possible thanks to over a thousand dedicated North Carolinians who spoke out against this bill by sending hundreds of emails to legislators.

Although our work together did yield results—several legislators switched their votes to “No” to uphold the Governor’s veto of SB 266—in the end three Democratic House members joined all Republicans in successfully overturning the veto.

This doesn’t stop our fight for affordable energy for all. In fact, we will redouble our efforts to inform the public about how specific laws impact energy prices and advocate for policies that protect consumers from corporate greed.