Sustain Charlotte Returns Duke Energy Funding, Citing Role in Regulatory Rollbacks
Duke signed January letter requesting changes in coal ash regulation from Trump admin
Local environmental advocacy organization Sustain Charlotte announced Wednesday that it is returning a $10,000 sponsorship fee to Duke Energy after the Charlotte-based energy and natural gas provider called on the Trump administration to roll back certain environmental regulations related to coal ash cleanup, greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants.
Duke was set to be the top sponsor for the 2025 Sustain Charlotte Awards, scheduled for April 28, but Sustain Charlotte’s leadership has decided they “could not keep funding from an organization actively working to slow the transition to clean energy and weaken EPA regulations finalized last year that aim to safeguard public health and accelerate the transition from burning fossil fuels to less carbon intensive sources like solar and wind,” according to a release on Wednesday.
The announcement comes in response to a Jan. 15 letter addressed to “nominee-to-be EPA Administrator” Lee Zeldin, who would later be confirmed and sworn in as the 17th administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency.
The letter urged the rollback of regulations on coal combustion residuals and stated that, “Swift action by the incoming Trump Administration is needed to reverse EPA’s regulatory overreach and to support critical energy production and development at U.S. power plants.”
With endorsements from nine other companies, cooperatives and state and municipal authorities that provide residents with energy across the country, Duke Energy senior vice president of Enterprise Safety and Generation Services Jessica Bednarcik is the top signee on the letter.
Since being sworn in on Jan. 29, Zeldin has been a fierce opponent of environmental regulations designed to curb climate change. In a March 12 video announcing 31 actions that he touted as comprising the “biggest deregulatory action in US history,” he boasted, “We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion.”
One of those actions, to reconsider a scientific finding that planet-warming greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare — a finding that has driven most of the country’s actions to curb climate change since 2009 — has been described as “endangering all of our lives — ours, our children, our grandchildren” by Christine Todd Whitman, former EPA administrator under George W. Bush.
The EPA’s March deregulatory actions also included reconsideration of Mercury and Air Toxics Standards that the agency said “improperly targeted coal-fired power plants” and updating the regulations around coal combustion residuals, as requested in the Jan. 15 letter from Duke and other signees.
In a statement sent to Queen City Nerve, a Duke Energy spokesperson wrote, “We’re disappointed with Sustain Charlotte’s decision. We have an unwavering commitment to support our communities with reliable energy while keeping prices as low as possible, and continuing to protect public health and the environment, as rigorous scientific testing confirms.”
Duke Energy’s website shows that the company’s stated climate goals include reducing CO2 emissions from electricity generation by at least 50% by 2030 and reaching net-zero CO2 by 2050. The company is also targeting net-zero methane emissions from natural gas distribution by 2030.
Read more: A Contemporary History of the Catawba River Coal Ash Battle (2021)
In its release, Sustain Charlotte pointed out that, in 2023, Duke Energy’s electricity generation from fossil fuels accounted for more than 46% of its total electricity production, with natural gas and oil making up the greatest share at 33.3% and coal accounting for 12.8%.
“Duke Energy has the resources and influence to be a true leader in the shift to clean, renewable energy,” said Shannon Binns, founder and executive director at Sustain Charlotte. “We urge them to embrace that role and actively support policies that accelerate the transition to healthier, sustainable communities across our country. Until then, we cannot promote them as a company that is aligned with our mission.”
