By Molly Weisner and Ari Sen
In preparation for the Sept. 10 election, the two candidates of North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District special election have gone head-to-head again, this time over energy.
Earlier this month, Democrat Dan McCready was called out for serving on the board of a non-profit organization, N.C. Sustainable Energy Association. It lobbied for renewable energy mandates — which some say is a conflict of interest given McCready’s solar company, Double Time Capital.
The organization advocated for green energy mandates and fought to keep them intact by protecting the mandates called for by Senate Bill 3. But renewable energy isn’t cheap, so keeping up with the clean energy requirements called for hiking prices.
McCready served on the board from 2014 to 2017.
The call-out on McCready is interesting considering his opponent, Dan Bishop, was denounced for voting in favor of an energy bill that would put the interests of energy companies in front of business and residential customers.
Bishop voted “yes” on Senate Bill 559, which was filed in April of this year. So, two bills, two warring candidates and one big question mark when it comes to energy.
Here’s what it all means.
McCready’s energy issue
SB3, passed in 2007, created a Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (REPS) for the state, meaning a portion of electrical power that is sold must be sourced renewably. For example, investor-owned utilities must have 12.5 percent of their energy come from “clean” sources by 2021. The percentage is lower for rural electric cooperatives and municipal providers.
The non-profit organization designed and implemented the standard, according to the organization’s site.
But criticism of the standard, according to the Washington Examiner, comes from the fact that the bill would cost an extra $34 per household and $150 per commercial customer per year.
The bill aims to support clean energy initiatives in North Carolina, which includes solar. McCready has been tied to the solar investment fund Double Time Capital and grounded part of his campaign on pride for the state’s renewable energy progress.
A statement provided to UNC Fact Check by McCready’s team responded to its candidate’s work with energy issues in the state.
“As a Marine and small business owner, Dan is proud of the role he played in making North Carolina the second in the nation for solar power, having helped build 36 solar farms that put 700 North Carolinians to work in good-paying jobs,” said Matt Fried, a McCready campaign spokesperson. “Today, over 30,000 North Carolina workers are employed in clean energy jobs of the future. While Dan was helping make North Carolina a jobs leader, State Sen. Bishop was voting to raise taxes by over $200 million and keep healthcare costs high.”
The state jumped from 47th to 2nd in installed solar power generating capacity in the country by 2016.
An analysis of the McCready campaign’s FEC filings by our team found no contributions from the N.C. Sustainable Energy Association. The organization does indicate having lobbied directly with the legislature. According to their 2016 tax form, it spent nearly $140,000 on lobbying.
Bishop’s energy issue
Bishop voted for a bill that allows for the North Carolina Utilities Commission to permit changes to energy rates set by utilities for a five-year period.
The idea is that energy companies can establish budgets in advance to fund large-scale projects like cleaning up coal ash or updating power grids. But this could be a way for companies to get lump sums up front without thorough review.
For consumers, this change could allow energy companies to slip expensive projects past regulatory processes that would verify the scale of budgets. It could also lift incentives to keep prices low.
Normally, the commission regulates a utility’s rates and services, but the bill slackens how beholden companies are to the commission.
Sam Spencer, planning commissioner at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission, tweeted, “Dan Bishop will tell anyone who asks that he’d never raise their taxes, but he is happy to vote for legislation – written by Duke Energy – to make it easier for them to pass their costs on to anyone who pays a power bill.”
But, on July 3, Bishop tweeted that McCready prioritized self-interest over keeping energy prices low, and he called McCready a “hypocrite” in the post.
On July 8, Bishop followed up with another jab at his opponent, citing an editorial, also from the Washington Examiner, that criticized McCready’s ties with his solar energy company and his board membership.
In a May interview with UNC Fact Check, McCready commented on working with energy companies and what that would look like if he is elected.
“Duke is responsible for a huge amount of North Carolina’s power generation from fossil fuels to nuclear to renewables,” McCready said. “And it’s important when you are doing business and building out clean energy jobs to work with all parties to try to build more solar and North Carolina and create more jobs.”
