CARBORRO, N.C. — The Town of Carrboro filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Orange County Superior Court accusing Duke Energy of deceiving the public for decades about the impact of climate change while actively contributing to the problem on a massive scale. The town council voted unanimously in favor of filing Tuesday evening.The suit claims the town is entitled to damages due to decades of inaction from Duke Energy, leaving communities like Carrboro on the hook for infrastructure repairs and climate adaptation due to the increased risks of extreme heat and severe storms. It’s the first suit of its kind against a major electric utility.Duke Energy faces new lawsuit over coal ash fillAccording to the complaint, Duke Energy personnel have been involved in conversations about the impact of fossil fuel emissions and CO2 in the atmosphere since 1968. Instead of taking steps to reduce fossil fuel dependence and build more carbon-free resources, Duke Energy spent the next several decades adding more coal and gas-fired assets to its power fleet.At the same time, the complaint lays out evidence that Duke Energy funded and participated in PR campaigns designed to spread disinformation about climate change and the role of fossil fuels. The complaint points out that to this day, Duke Energy’s social media emphasizes its solar and renewable assets when the company is planning one of the largest natural gas buildouts in the country.According to Carrboro Mayor Barbara Foushee, the Piedmont town of 21,000 has worked for years to reduce its carbon emissions and prepare for the impact of climate change, but this suit serves as a bold statement about who bears greater responsibility for fossil fuel pollution.“We move very intentionally around issues that we care about and about issues that we know our community cares about,” she said. “It is another tool in our toolbox to specifically bring more engagement around the urgency of the climate crisis.”Matthew Quinn, an attorney with Lewis & Roberts, who is representing Carrboro said the case has not settled on how much Carrboro deserves in damages, but models are looking at the potential toll extreme weather could wreak on town roads and stormwater infrastructure. Quinn said taking into account Duke’s decades of inaction which cost the communities like Carrboro precious time to take their own action, damages could be in the tens of millions.“As a result of the deceptions by Duke fossil fuel companies, others in the industry, we didn’t make that transition to renewable energy when we reasonably should have, when we could have and as a result, there’s a major gulf between where we should be at and where we’re at right now,” he said.The nonprofit NC Warn is covering Carrboro’s legal fees for this case and the Center for Biological Diversity is also joining in on the lawsuit.When reached for comment, a Duke Energy spokesman said the company is still reviewing the lawsuit but released a statement sa
Ven. Dic 27th, 2024
