Gov. Roy Cooper today issued an executive order that is intended to make North Carolina communities more resilient, spur economic development and protect our state’s natural resources. The order, called “North Carolina’s Commitment to Address Climate Change and Transition to a Clean Energy Economy,” directs the Department of Environmental Quality to work with stakeholders to develop and implement a plan that reduces the state’s carbon footprint.
North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives welcome the opportunity to participate in this conversation and work with all stakeholders to develop energy solutions that benefit our state’s citizens and communities, including the rural communities served by North Carolina’s 26 electric cooperatives.
The founding mission of electric cooperatives is to serve consumer-members and communities by delivering safe, reliable and affordable electricity. Building on this mission, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives are creating a “Brighter Energy Future” for 2.5 million cooperative members in 93 counties by providing energy solutions that match the unique needs of their local communities.
Brighter Energy Future
The roots of these forward-focused energy solutions grow from our founding mission and three values that drive the decisions we make:
- Creating a low-carbon emissions environment for our state and its citizens through sustainability and continued investment in low- and zero-emissions resources.
- Integrating technology that makes distribution grids more resilient, robust and flexible for an energy future that includes consumers’ participation through demand response programs and new energy resources distributed across the grid.
- Improving efficiency of the overall energy sector by electrifying processes formerly powered by fossil fuels. Electric vehicles are a primary example of this conversion.
We look forward to continuing this conversation to find areas of alignment between our mission of building a Brighter Energy Future and the goals set in the Governor’s executive order.