Apple, Google and Facebook sent North Carolina state legislators a letter, opposing House Bill 332, which seeks to change policies for renewable energy and energy efficiency in the state.
The technology giants contend the presence of clean energy in North Carolina’s electricity portfolio, supported by policies such as the Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (REPS), is a primary reason they chose to bring their businesses to North Carolina in the first place.
The letter states: “As employers and major electricity customers in North Carolina, the undersigned TechNet member companies write today to raise concerns over the energy policy language of H332, which we believe would have a significant negative impact on the availability of a clean and diversified energy supply in the state.
“As global companies providing services to consumers around the world from our operations in the state, a reliable, sustainable electricity supply is critical, and requires sourcing power from renewable energy. In fact, the right and ability to access power from renewable resources is not merely a goal, but an expectation.
“We are concerned the legislation would freeze the Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (REPS), which provides a steadily increasing baseline of clean energy for the North Carolina grid over time. We believe the REPS should be maintained because our collective experience shows that programs like the REPS can actually reduce the overall cost of energy to ratepayers.
“We respectfully request that the General Assembly not alter the current carefully developed law and policy structure upon which industry has relied for purposes of investment decisions and which has made North Carolina particularly attractive to our businesses.”
