Also published in The Charlotte Observer.
The Town of Carrboro is suing Duke Energy, alleging that North Carolina’s monopoly utility has engaged in decades of deception around climate science that has stalled the transition to renewable energy and resulted in “largely unabated” greenhouse gas emissions.
Filed Wednesday in Orange County Superior Court, the lawsuit likely marks the first time that a municipality has sued an electric utility alleging harms caused by deception about the risks from fossil fuels. Several lawsuits across the country have targeted oil and gas companies, including a 2023 lawsuit a local government in Oregon filed against a gas utility.
