Durham Dispatch

Climate non-profit NC WARN tells state leaders to end suppression of local solar, says that all customers can benefit by sharing solar costs through the rate system With the global climate crisis at a point of desperation, power bills soaring and Duke Energy stifling renewables while aggressively expanding fossil fuels, clean energy group NC WARN and allies are calling for state leaders to finally consider – instead of suppressing – the fastest, cheapest and most equitable way to phase out climate-wrecking power plants. At a press conference today, NC WARN proposed a major shift for the state [1]. The 36-year-old nonprofit says the costs and benefits of local solar-plus-storage (SPS) – including lower power bills – should be shared by all customers the same way we all pay for polluting power. There would be no up-front cost, plus financial incentives for adding solar power and battery storage on homes, businesses and others. Today NC WARN released a two-page summary of its "Sharing Solar" proposal [2]. It says locating solar panels and storage batteries where power is used, particularly rooftops and parking areas, will generate jobs in towns and cities across the state, add protections during emergencies, and help all customers avoid annual rate increases while reducing climate pollution instead of expanding fossil fuels. The proposal calls for prioritizing low-income customers. NC WARN will soon file engineer Konidena’s testimony critical of Duke’s proposed Carbon Plan for gambling on high-risk, climate-wrecking approaches for future power generation. He also explains how other utilities are using solar-plus-storage to create “virtual power plants” that help phase out fossil fuels and save millions. The NCUC already approved Duke Energy’s plans to expand solar power many years from now. Duke assumes this would be larger-than-ever solar farms near rural communities, preceded by billions of dollars in new transmission projects that would drive up the cost of the solar. NC WARN argues that most of it should be local SPS, where the benefits of generating and storing power where it's used could begin right away, expand quickly and be shared statewide. Jim Warren, director of NC WARN said today at a press conference, “A key hindrance for expanding rooftop solar has long been the up-front cost. But NC electricity users don’t pay a large up-front cost to build giant fossil fuel and nuclear power plants. We all share the cost of kilowatt-hours on our monthly power bills, and polls show that, overwhelmingly, North Carolinians and businesses would rather be buying clean power.” Warren said the new proposal will launch a new statewide campaign with clean energy allies to lift up rooftop solar just as Duke tries to bury it. Scores of solar companies and advocacy groups have already called to expand local solar instead of bulldozing farms and forests under Duke’s plan. A verdict is expected by the NC Court of Appeals in a case where NC WARN and allies seek to reverse a ruling that allowed Duke Energy to stunt the economics of rooftop solar. Bobby Jones, President of the Down East Coal Ash Environmental and Social Justice Coalition, said at the press conference that his group is excited about the possibilities of the shared solar proposal. “It’s exactly what we need to address our climate and energy crisis.  Right now, we’re at the mercy of the Duke monopoly and its unclean energy … and what they charge us for it. We’re paying for our own demise.” His group is joining NC WARN, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP and Robeson County’s Seeds of Hope as intervenors in the Carbon Plan docket. The allies will promote local SPS and challenge Duke’s plans for billions in new transmission corridors through disadvantaged rural communities. Duke remains secretive about where it would seek to locate those corridors. Sharing Solar will help all customers avoid constant rate hikes caused by the tens of billions of dollars Duke wants to spend on high-risk power plants and new transmission [3]. SPS also adds much-needed resiliency for all power users – such as emergency facilities – during outages. “Not enough roof space”? Duke Energy and others have long claimed rooftop solar can’t help slow the climate crisis. In fact, North Carolina has twice the practical space needed to meet climate goals on rooftops, parking areas, contaminated brownfields and vacant land close to towns and cities, according to federal data [4, pg. 6]. NC WARN has been proposing SPS since 2017 [5]. With the new payment approach, the group says its way past time for the NC Utilities Commission (NCUC) and Duke Energy to finally agree to a fair consideration of local SPS – especially because Duke can profit from it. Image credit: NC WARN [4, pg. 8] NC WARN says Duke leaders’ “pro-Carbon Plan” would ensure that North Carolina remains a top driver of the climate crisis. Thousands of state residents are still reeling from past superstorms even as scientists warn that the coming hurricane season could be our worst ever. Jim Warren added, “Duke Energy leaders and state officials simply must, finally, break out of the years of appalling pretense that North Carolina is ‘making a clean transition’. The climate situation is desperate, this state is failing its duty, and local solar could quickly begin to change that.” This article was published first in NC WARN. Work Cited NC WARN. “NC WARN Proposes Sweeping New Solar Approach for NC Electricity System.” YouTube, 15 May 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=asCr2BPtqio. “The Quickest, Most Affordable Way to Tackle the Climate Crisis and Cut Power Bills - NC WARN.” NC WARN, 14 May 2024, www.ncwarn.org/sharing-solar-summ. Heilman, Sara. “84 Solar Companies, Targeted Groups and Allies Call for Investigation of Duke Energy — NC WARN News Release.” NC WARN, 13 Dec. 2023, www.ncwarn.org/2023/12/84-solar-companies-targeted-groups-and-allies-call-for-investigation-of-duke-energy-nc-warn-news-release. NC WARN. Moving North Carolina Forward: The Case for Local Solar-Plus-Storage. 26 June 2023, www.ncwarn.org/wp-content/uploads/MovingNC-Forward.pdf. Powers, Bill. “North Carolina Clean Path 2025: Achieving an Economical Clean Energy Future.” NC WARN, by NC WARN, report, Aug. 2017, www.ncwarn.org/wp-content/uploads/NC-CLEAN-PATH-2025-FINAL-8-9-17.pdf.

Around 100 anti-war demonstrators came to the State Capitol for a ceasefire rally on Sunday, May 19th. Along with calls for an end to the US-Israeli attack on Gaza, the protestors criticized three bills moving quickly through the North Carolina political system – HB 942, HB 10, and HB 237. Speakers for the rally came from the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Muslim Women For, Raleigh United for Gaza, and other groups. WRAL interviewed Hadeel Hamoud, a member of Muslim Women For, about the purpose of Sunday’s action [x]. The quote is lightly edited for clarity. “The Shalom Act (HB 942) will potentially thwart free speech and allow law enforcement to criminalize the pro-Palestinian movement,” said Hamoud, “The ICE bill (HB 10) will criminalize immigrants, the masking bill (HB 237) will make it illegal for us to wear masks for health and safety reasons, all of these things are seeking to undermine and inhibit the movement.” The pro-Palestine group assembled at 3 o’clock on Wilmington Street. They formed a long line on the sidewalk, kept off the Capitol Grounds grass by a few police officers. The rally’s organizers led a few practice chants and then led a short march down the street to the Legislative Building. On the way, people waved Palestinian flags as well as signs with messages like “Free Palestine”, “End the Occupation”, and “Say NO To Repressive Laws.” “End the occupation now!” chanted the crowd, “And if we don’t get it, shut it down!” The rally-goers warmed to the last line and repetitively roared, “Shut it down! Shut it down!” Ceasefire rallies have been held in Raleigh, mostly at Moore Square, every weekend for many months. The crowd knew their slogans well, often correcting chant leaders who missed a word or beat. The marchers stopped in front of the Legislative Building and organizers made speeches about three proposed North Carolina laws that they called repressive. Women circulated in the crowd, handing out huge posters with images of murdered Gazan children. “The Shalom Act uses the IHRA definition of antisemitism which says it may be antisemitic to call Israel a racist state,” said a speaker from the UNC Chapel Hill encampment, “But that’s just the truth. Israel is a racist state!” A leader from Raleigh United for Gaza gave a speech, outlining the new group’s plans to raise campaign funds to protect elected officials who supported a ceasefire. To that end, the speaker asked the crowd to come to a silent auction in early June. When the anti-war demonstrators began to march again, police on motorbikes put up their kickstands and rode off to the next intersection. The crowd marched down Salisbury Street and then Morgan Street to return to the starting place. On the way back, the chants continued. “We will honor all our martyrs … all the children, sons, and daughters!” Sunday’s event wasn’t marred by police violence or counter-protestors. People who walked past the march were a mix of supportive, curious, or unconcerned, but never openly hostile. There were a few confused looks whenever the activists chanted in Arabic. The crowd began to disperse around 5 o’clock, returning to life in a rich city in the most powerful country on earth. The next day, May 20th, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) requested arrest warrants for the Prime Minister and Defense Minister of Israel, as well as for three Hamas leaders. Although the Israeli leaders will likely never be imprisoned at the Hague, the pro-Palestine movement celebrated the ICC’s actions, eager for any event that could help to lessen the suffering of a tyrannized people. On May 22nd, the governments of Ireland, Spain, and Norway announced their recognition of the State of Palestine, joining 143 other countries. Missing from that list is the United States, which vetoes the two-state solution every year at the United Nations. This year’s General Assembly vote on the topic was 143-9. The pro-Palestine demonstrators in Raleigh are likely to be back on May 26th, demanding that their leaders join the world in calling for an end to the current war, the decades-long imprisonment of Gaza, and the 56-year Israeli military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.

On May 23rd, workers at the REI store in Durham celebrated the one-year anniversary of their vote to unionize with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1208. The REI employees held a rally at six o'clock on Thursday that was joined by dozens of community supporters, including Durham City Council member Nate Baker. The rally was held in front of the REI store, located in the Renaissance Center on Fayetteville Street. Heavy rain swept in just as the event began but nobody seemed to mind. The REI workers gave heartfelt speeches about better pay and conditions in sopping wet clothing, and perhaps the strongest speech came from a worker whose printed remarks turned to soggy mush in their hands. The crowd included families with small children, who reached out from beneath the umbrellas to feel the rain. UFCW 1208 made it clear they were focused on one demand – that the outdoor retailing company bargain in good faith and sign a fair contract with its 10 unionized stores. The REI Union was established in March 2022, but since then REI has stonewalled on negotiating a union contract. Mitchell Murphy, senior sales specialist at REI Durham, said the following at Thursday’s rally: “One year ago, we did something historic here at REI Durham. We stood up for ourselves and our fellow workers and told REI that we deserve to have a real impact in our workplace. We deserve the ability to make positive changes in our workplace through the required process of the company coming to the table we have built, and bargaining with us over changes that both sides want to make to our combined operations and working conditions.” The sun emerged at 6:30 p.m. and the rally-goers stowed their umbrellas and ponchos. As the speeches continued, the REI workers explained how the company has shifted away from full-time employment, preferring to hire part-time workers without enough pay or training. UFCW 1208 talked about the unique needs of REI customers. One may need to know how to fix their custom-made mountain bike, another might ask what to bring for a hike up Kilimanjaro. Yet, the company has cut trainings where workers get to take part in such outdoor adventures, leading to a drop in customer service that erases the benefits of the cost savings. Si-Hua Chang, sales specialist at REI Durham, also spoke at the May 23rd rally: “I’m confident that REI workers’ efforts to make our voices heard will prevail over REI’s attempts to silence us. We are so proud of the movement we are building, and we look forward to welcoming many more REI stores into the REI union. We are also incredibly grateful for the support of our Durham community, especially from REI members and from our siblings in unions across Durham and the triangle.” The first REI store to unionize was a New York City location that won its NLRB election in March 2022. As the REI Union grew over the next two years, the outdoor retailer has retaliated with a wave of firings against pro-union workers, often on the flimsiest pretexts. The company has also retained Morgan Lewis, a notorious anti-union law firm, for its union-busting drive. Anti-union consultants make hundreds of dollars an hour in their repellent trade, while the REI workers they're attacking make a fraction of that. Despite all challenges, Thursday's one-year anniversary rally at the Renaissance Center was upbeat and optimistic. People driving by honked to show support for UFCW 1208, and each time the crowd cheered in appreciation. After the speeches, the REI workers talked and laughed with supporters from Durham Association of Educators, C.A.U.S.E., Southern Workers Assembly, and other pro-worker groups. The workers handed out slices of cake and cookies decorated with REI Union colors. In their remarks, one of the REI workers wondered if the highly-paid REI executives and Morgan Lewis mercenaries were watching the social media feed from the May 23rd rally. If so, the message from the Bull City was clear - stop union-busting and start negotiating in good faith.