Special to IFN
RALEIGH — Gov. Josh Stein recently signed Executive Order 23, establishing the North Carolina Energy Policy Task Force to strengthen the state’s electricity infrastructure and energy affordability as demand increases.
The task force will be co-chaired by Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson and Rep. Kyle Hall.
This Executive Order continues the state’s leadership in the clean energy economy. Despite federal cuts to clean energy and manufacturing tax credits, Stein is charging the task force with determining how the state can remain steadfast in keeping utility costs affordable for North Carolinians, meeting its economic development and environmental protection goals, and managing increasing energy demand.
“North Carolina is a leader in the clean energy economy and is home to more than 100,000 clean energy jobs,” Stein said. “I am grateful for this task force helping to determine how our state can build on this economic momentum, meet growing energy demands, and ensure electricity is affordable for North Carolinians.”
“I am proud to co-chair this task force,” added Co-Chair and DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson. “As our growing state’s demand for electricity increases, transitioning to clean energy will help ensure affordable prices for ratepayers.”
North Carolina is the third-fastest-growing state in the country. With a rapidly growing manufacturing footprint and the use of energy intensive data centers for artificial intelligence and other uses increasing, the need for electrical power is placing additional demand on the state’s energy grid. Such demand may lead to higher utility bills for families. With growing demand in mind, North Carolina must work to meet its energy requirements while keeping electricity costs low for families.
In the wake of state and federal policy changes, the task force will be committed to ensuring North Carolina continues to push forward on critical clean energy commitments that protect natural resources, the state’s economy, and people’s pocketbooks.
The reconciliation law that Congress passed and President Trump signed into law repealed key components of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, ending access to many energy and manufacturing tax credits for North Carolina businesses – a policy that sparked more than $24 billion in clean energy technology investments across the state. The reconciliation law combined with the General Assembly’s Senate Bill 266 will mean higher costs for families and threaten up to 50,000 future jobs.
Gov. Stein has charged the task force with evaluating how to maintain the state’s clean energy commitments while keeping utility bills low in the midst of these changes.
The state’s commitment to clean energy has attracted companies from across the globe. Since taking office, Stein has announced $4.9 billion in new investments and more than 15,000 new jobs from clean energy and clean technology companies, including JetZero’s announcement of the largest jobs commitment in state history at Piedmont Triad International Airport to manufacture high-efficiency, low-emissions aircraft. Stein also joined the groundbreaking of Boviet Solar’s new solar module factory in Greenville.
In January, the governor launched Energy Saver NC, an initiative to promote energy efficiency that provides rebates to households that install energy-efficient appliances, improve home insulation, or upgrade electrical systems. Stein is also committed to building resilient energy infrastructure across the state after Hurricane Helene.
Stein issued the executive order establishing the Energy Policy Task Force to recommend policies to strengthen the state’s clean energy economy by managing increasing electricity demand while maintaining affordability, reliability, and carbon emissions reductions. The task force will submit an annual report to the Governor, the General Assembly, the North Carolina Utilities Commission, the North Carolina Rural Electrification Authority, and the public.
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♦ Click HERE to read Governor Stein’s executive order.