Buttermilk Icing

Buttermilk Icing

Buttermilk Icing Recipe

Cakes cooling with Buttermilk Icing on top.
Photo by Getty Images

Buttermilk icing recipe originally published in WPTF’s “Ask Your Neighbor” Cookbook.

Prep time: 5-10 minutes

Cooking time: 5-10 minutes

Serving size: Icing for one cake

Ingredients

  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp butter
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbsp corn syrup
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
Sugar being poured into water boiling on the stove to make buttermilk icing.
Photo by Getty Images

Directions

  1. Combine the buttermilk, butter, baking soda, corn syrup, and sugar in a pot.
  2. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat until it comes to a good boil.
  3. Once the icing has boiled, remove it from the heat.
  4. Pour the icing over the cake while the cake is still hot, allowing the icing to soak in and set.
  5. Serve and enjoy!
Cake cooling down with buttermilk icing hardening.
Photo by Getty Images
Homemade Marshmallow Peeps

Homemade Marshmallow Peeps

Homemade Marshmallow Peeps

Photo by Getty Images

Homemade Marshmallow Peeps Recipe from Southern Fatty

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serving size: 15-20 servings

Ingredients

For the Colored Sugar

  • 1 cup sugar for each color, in Ziplock bag
  • food coloring, any type

For the Peeps

  • 1 packet gelatin
  • ⅓ cup water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • cocoa powder + tiny bit of water, optional – for eyes
Sugar being poured into water boiling on the stove to make buttermilk icing.
Photo by Getty Images

Directions

For the Colored Sugar

  1. Combine 1 cup sugar in Ziplock bag with coloring.
  2. Mix until well combined, several minutes.
  3. Sift larger pieces out.

For the Peeps

  1. In mixer bowl, put ⅓ cup cold water.
  2. Empty packet of gelatin over water and let sit while you make sugar mixture.
  3. In saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar and ¼ cup water.
  4. Swirl to combine well.
  5. Using a candy thermometer, heat over medium heat until it reaches soft ball stage (238 F).
  6. Do not stir during this process. If crystals form on pan walls, use brush with water to dissolve it back down.
  7. When at 238 F, remove from heat and slowly pour into mixer bowl with gelatin.
  8. Stir by hand for a couple minute to break any gelatin lumps.
  9. When cooled slightly, place on mixer with whisk attachment and combine at medium-high speed until white and somewhat stiff. About 8-9 minutes.
  10. Immediately transfer to large piping bag (14″ works well) with ½” tip. Alternatively, use gallon Ziplock bag with corner cut.
  11. With colored sugar in a shallow dish, pipe chick shapes directly into the sugar. If the shape doesn’t hold, let the mixture cool for a minute or two and try again.
  12. Use spoon to cover marshmallow chicks with sugar. Let cool for 30 minutes on tray.
  13. Enjoy!
North Carolina judges side with Republican colleague in close Supreme Court race

North Carolina judges side with Republican colleague in close Supreme Court race

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina appeals court sided Friday with the trailing Republican candidate in an extremely close state Supreme Court election, a ruling that could flip the result of the nation’s only 2024 race that is still undecided.

In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the intermediate-level Court of Appeals ruled that ballots — likely tens of thousands of them — were wrongly allowed in the tally, and it gave some of those voters about three weeks to provide additional information or see the ballots get removed. The disputed ballots are believed to favor Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs, who, after two recounts, held a 734-vote lead over Republican Jefferson Griffin in their race, which saw over 5.5 million ballots cast.

The judges on Friday found that the State Board of Elections got it wrong in December when it dismissed Griffin’s election protests. The ruling is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court.

Griffin’s postelection protests challenged over 65,000 ballots in three different categories. Griffin currently serves on the Court of Appeals and had recused himself from deliberations within the court, where some of his colleagues ruled favoring him.

The prevailing opinion declares that the board should have found that ballots from within each of three categories shouldn’t be counted because they failed to comply with state law or the state constitution. The decision also reverses the decision of a trial judge who in February upheld the board’s actions.

“Free elections under … the North Carolina Constitution include the right to an accurate counting of votes,” said the opinion backed by Judges John Tyson and Fred Gore, both registered Republicans. “Griffin has a legal right to inquire into this outcome through the statutorily-enacted and postelection procedures available to him.”

In two of those categories of challenged voters, the judges directed that the state board give voters in two of the categories 15 business days to provide their missing information or photo identification. If the information is provided in time, then those ballots would still count, the opinion reads.

Griffin’s attorneys have said previously that removing the challenged ballots would favor their client and likely make him the winner. The ballots challenged on the ID mandate, for example, largely came from Democratic-leaning counties. But it’s unclear how many voters would provide the information the judges say are necessary for the ballots to be counted.

In the third category — involving overseas voters who have never lived in the U.S. — their ballots should not count, according to Tyson and Gore.

Lawyers for Riggs and the board have said the ballots were cast lawfully based on state laws and rules that have been applied to elections for years and can’t be altered retroactively. Riggs’ allies have held rallies across the state demanding Griffin concede, saying he was trying to overturn the results of a fair election.

Court of Appeals Judge Toby Hampson, a registered Democrat writing a dissenting opinion, said that Griffin hadn’t identified a single voter who was ineligible to vote in the November elections under the laws and rules governing the election.

“To accept Petitioner’s indiscriminate efforts to call into doubt the votes of tens of thousands of otherwise eligible voters, without any showing any challenged voter was disqualified under existing law from voting is to elevate speculation and surmise over evidence and reason,” he wrote.

The eight-year term on the highest court in the ninth-largest state was supposed to begin in early January. Riggs has meanwhile remained serving in her seat. She’s also recused herself from preliminary deliberations in the protests that have already been heard by the Supreme Court.

Five of the six remaining justices on the Supreme Court that likely will review the Court of Appeals ruling are registered Republicans. Lawyers for Riggs and the board also have already signaled they will take the case to federal court should they lose in state court and Griffin takes the tally lead.

While The Associated Press declared more than 4,400 winners in the 2024 general election, the state Supreme Court election is the only race that is still undecided.

Peach Cobbler

Peach Cobbler

Peach Cobbler

Photo by Getty Images

Peach Cobbler Recipe from Tastes Better From Scratch

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Serving size: 9 servings

Ingredients

  • 5 peaches , peeled, cored and sliced (about 4 cups)
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Batter

  • 6 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • ground cinnamon

Directions

  1. Add the sliced peaches, sugar and salt to a saucepan and stir to combine. 
*(If using canned peaches, skip steps 1 & 2 and follow the directions starting at step 3) 
  2. Cook on medium heat for just a few minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and helps to bring out juices from the peaches. Remove from heat and set aside. 
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice butter into pieces and add to a 9×13 inch baking dish. Place the pan in the oven while it preheats, to allow the butter to melt. Once melted, remove the pan from the oven.
  4. In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the milk, just until combined. Pour the mixture into the pan, over the melted butter and smooth it into an even layer. 
  5. Spoon the peaches and juice (or canned peaches, if using) over the batter. Sprinkle cinnamon generously over the top.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 38-40 minutes. Serve warm, with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.
Amish Vanilla Pie

Amish Vanilla Pie

Amish Vanilla Pie Recipe

Amish Vanilla Pie with a slice cut out of it.
Photo by Getty Images

Amish Vanilla Pie recipe by Bea McClure, Durham, from WPTF’s “Ask Your Neighbor” Cookbook.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Baking time: 40 minutes

Serving size: 9 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell 
  • 1/4 cup butter or margarine
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup dark brown syrup
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup unsifted flour
  • 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/8 tsp salt
Ingredients such as vanilla, oats, milk, brown sugar and salt.
Photo by Getty Images

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a pie crust.
  2. Combine 1/2 a cup of brown sugar, 1 tbsp of flour, dark corn syrup, vanilla, and beaten egg in a saucepan.
  3. Slowly stir in water over medium heat until well combined then bring the mixture to a boil.
  4. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes while you work on the dry mixture.
  5. For the dry mixture, combine 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and softened butter in a bowl. Mix with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  6. Pour the cooled mixture into the pie crust and top with the crumble mixture.
  7. Baked at 350°F for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
  8. Enjoy this Amish Vanilla Pie on its own or paired with vanilla ice cream!

Click here to view the recipe for pie crust!

Amish vanilla pie baking in the oven.
Photo by Getty Images
What you do before and during a tornado could mean the difference between life and death

What you do before and during a tornado could mean the difference between life and death

By JEFF MARTIN Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — With new innovations and technology, scientists have learned from major tornado outbreaks over the years how to improve safety guidance. During tornado season, forecasters try to get the word out about staying safe during a storm — but also planning for it ahead of time.

Tornado seasons typically begin at different times in different parts of the United States.

In what has historically been known as Tornado Alley — a designation that typically includes Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas — the peak of tornado season is May into early June. But the season starts earlier in what’s often called Dixie Alley, made up of southern states such as Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.

The idea of a tornado alley can be misleading, since tornadoes have been reported in all 50 states. About 1,200 tornadoes strike the U.S. every year, and each year violent twisters happen outside these traditional “alleys” of tornado outbreaks, according to the National Severe Storms Laboratory. Recent twisters have even struck in places unaccustomed to them, such as one near Los Angeles in 2023 that tore apart rooftops and injured one person.

When a tornado takes aim at your house, and the sirens are sounding, the dogs are barking and the children are screaming, there are some last-minute precautions that could save the lives of you and your loved ones.

Experts also recommend a few simple steps to prepare well before the twister is on your doorstep. Here’s a look at some tornado safety tips:

How do I get emergency updates?

Weather radios, specialized receivers that get alerts and can sound an alarm in an emergency, are something that every home and business should have, said Rick Smith, the warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s forecast office in Norman, Oklahoma.

“It does feel like old-school technology, but they are lifesaving devices,” Smith said.

Radios can be particularly valuable in the South, where many tornadoes strike at night when people are sleeping. “This can wake you up in the middle of the night with the alarm,” Smith said.

The National Weather Service encourages people to have multiple ways of being warned, which can include weather radios, a cellphone app or other method in case power is lost. Redundancy is key, Smith said.

Where should I take shelter?

The ideal places to take shelter are enclosed, underground shelters and basements, or a safe room above ground that’s designed to withstand tornadic winds.

But many people don’t have that option — in Oklahoma, for example, the clay soil makes building basements expensive, so lots of homes don’t have them.

If you have to be above ground in a tornado, “your goal is to put as many walls and barriers between you and the outside as you possibly can,” Smith said.

Smith recommends using mattresses, couch cushions or other sturdy items to protect yourself from deadly flying or falling debris. Bicycle or sports helmets can provide crucial head protection. It’s important that they are stored in a convenient place so they can be retrieved quickly, when you have only minutes or seconds before the storm strikes.

A car seat can help protect a small child, Smith says, and can be brought inside ahead of time.

How can I keep my home safe?

Recent research has shown that closing your home’s garage door and all interior doors could ease the high winds inside somewhat by compartmentalizing them, according to Smith. Doing so is recommended during thunderstorms and tornadoes by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety.

That’s the opposite of a commonly held misconception: “There’s still a chunk of people out there who think you’re supposed to open the doors and windows to equalize the pressure,” Smith said.

It’s also important to prepare for the tornado’s aftermath, when you might emerge from a home or shelter to find downed trees and power lines and shredded buildings. Dress for disaster, such as wearing long pants and sturdy shoes, to make it easier to safely navigate treacherous terrain.

An emergency kit of essentials like drinking water and nonperishable food items is also a good idea.

With the threat of strong tornadoes in the forecast this week for Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and other states, forecasters are urging people to have emergency supplies, know where their safe places are and have a family communication plan.

What should I do if I’m driving?

Don’t look to Hollywood for sound tornado safety practices. The recent Hollywood film “Twisters” shows the characters sprinting toward a highway underpass as a tornado approaches.

If you are in a car or truck, “you really don’t have a lot of good options at that point,” Smith said. “Try not to get caught in that situation.”

The best thing to do is get off the road and try to find a building. If there’s nowhere to go, there are no guaranteed safe options.

When it comes to ditches, overpasses or staying inside a car, “people have survived doing all of those, people have died doing all of those,” Smith said. “I’ve seen cars rolled up into unrecognizable balls of metal.”

ACC is moving its women’s basketball tournament from Greensboro to the Atlanta area in 2026

ACC is moving its women’s basketball tournament from Greensboro to the Atlanta area in 2026

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Atlantic Coast Conference women’s basketball tournament will move from its longtime home in North Carolina to the Atlanta area in 2026, the league announced Thursday.

The tournament will be held at the 13,000-seat Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia, which is about 30 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta. The decision to move the event followed an extensive bid process and evaluation by coaches and administrators.

The tournament has been played in Greensboro, North Carolina, for 25 of the past 26 seasons. It was in Conway, South Carolina, in 2017. Charlotte, North Carolina, was host from 1997-1999 and Rock Hill, South Carolina, from 1992-1996. The first neutral site was Fayetteville, North Carolina, from 1983-1991.

The 2026 tournament is set for March 4-8.

“Women’s basketball is thriving, and we are delighted to bring the longest-running collegiate conference women’s basketball tournament to a new, state-of-the-art venue in our region, further enhancing the incredible success we have achieved with our partners in Greensboro,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said.

The 2025 tournament drew more than 70,000 fans for the first time since 2009. The title game between Duke and North Carolina State set an attendance record of 11,823.

Dow drops 1,600 as US stocks lead worldwide sell-off after Trump’s tariffs cause a COVID-like shock

Dow drops 1,600 as US stocks lead worldwide sell-off after Trump’s tariffs cause a COVID-like shock

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street shuddered, and a level of shock unseen since COVID’s outbreak tore through financial markets worldwide Thursday on worries about the damage President Donald Trump’s newest set of tariffs could do to economies across continents, including his own.

The S&P 500 sank 4.8%, more than in major markets across Asia and Europe, for its worst day since the pandemic crashed the economy in 2020. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1,679 points, or 4%, and the Nasdaq composite tumbled 6%.

Little was spared in financial markets as fear flared about the potentially toxic mix of weakening economic growth and higher inflation that tariffs can create.

Everything from crude oil to Big Tech stocks to the value of the U.S. dollar against other currencies fell. Even gold, which hit records recently as investors sought something safer to own, pulled lower. Some of the worst hits walloped smaller U.S. companies, and the Russell 2000 index of smaller stocks dropped 6.6% to pull more than 20% below its record.

Investors worldwide knew Trump was going to announce a sweeping set of tariffs late Wednesday, and fears surrounding it had already pulled Wall Street’s main measure of health, the S&P 500 index, 10% below its all-time high. But Trump still managed to surprise them with “the worst case scenario for tariffs,” according to Mary Ann Bartels, chief investment officer at Sanctuary Wealth.

Trump announced a minimum tariff of 10% on imports, with the tax rate running much higher on products from certain countries like China and those from the European Union. It’s “plausible” the tariffs altogether, which would rival levels unseen in roughly a century, could knock down U.S. economic growth by 2 percentage points this year and raise inflation close to 5%, according to UBS.

Such a hit would be so big that it “makes one’s rational mind regard the possibility of them sticking as low,” according to Bhanu Baweja and other strategists at UBS.

Wall Street had long assumed Trump would use tariffs merely as a tool for negotiations with other countries, rather than as a long-term policy. But Wednesday’s announcement may suggest Trump sees tariffs more as helping to solve an ideological goal than as an opening bet in a poker game. Trump on Wednesday talked about wresting manufacturing jobs back to the United States, a process that could take years.

If Trump follows through on his tariffs, stock prices may need to fall much more than 10% from their all-time high in order to reflect the recession that could follow, along with the hit to profits that U.S. companies could take. The S&P 500 is now down 11.8% from its record set in February.

“Markets may actually be underreacting, especially if these rates turn out to be final, given the potential knock-on effects to global consumption and trade,” said Sean Sun, portfolio manager at Thornburg Investment Management, though he sees Trump’s announcement on Wednesday as more of an opening move than an endpoint for policy.

Trump offered an upbeat reaction after he was asked about the market’s drop as he left the White House to fly to his Florida golf club on Thursday.

“I think it’s going very well,” he said. “We have an operation, like when a patient gets operated on and it’s a big thing. I said this would exactly be the way it is.”

One wild card is that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates in order to support the economy. That’s what it had been doing late last year before pausing in 2025. Lower interest rates help by making it easier for U.S. companies and households to borrow and spend.

Yields on Treasurys tumbled in part on rising expectations for coming cuts to rates, along with general fear about the health of the U.S. economy. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.04% from 4.20% late Wednesday and from roughly 4.80% in January. That’s a huge move for the bond market.

The Fed may have less freedom to move than it would like, though. While lower rates can goose the economy, they can also push upward on inflation. And worries are already worsening about that because of tariffs, with U.S. households in particular bracing for sharp increases to their bills.

The U.S. economy at the moment is still growing, of course. A report on Thursday said fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week. Economist had been expecting to see an uptick in joblessness, and a relatively solid job market has been the linchpin keeping the economy out of recession.

A separate report said activity for U.S. transportation, finance and other businesses in the services industry grew last month. But the growth was weaker than expected, and businesses gave a mixed picture of how they see conditions.

Worries about a potentially stagnating economy and high inflation knocked down all kinds of stocks, leading to drops for four out of every five that make up the S&P 500.

Best Buy fell 17.8% because the electronics that it sells are made all over the world. United Airlines lost 15.6% because customers worried about the global economy may not fly as much for business or feel comfortable enough to take vacations. Target tumbled 10.9% amid worries that its customers, already squeezed by still-high inflation, may be under even more stress.

All told, the S&P 500 fell. 274.45 points to 5,396.52 The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 1,679.39 to 40,545.93, and the Nasdaq composite tumbled 1,050.44 to 16,550.61.

In stock markets abroad, indexes fell sharply worldwide. France’s CAC 40 dropped 3.3%, and Germany’s DAX lost 3% in Europe.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 sank 2.8%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 1.5% and South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.8%.

___

AP Writers Matt Ott, Elaine Kurtenbach and Darlene Superville contributed.

Myanmar earthquake death toll rises to 3,145 as more bodies found

Myanmar earthquake death toll rises to 3,145 as more bodies found

By DAVID RISING Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — The death toll from the earthquake that hit Myanmar nearly a week ago rose Thursday to 3,145 as search and rescue teams found more bodies, the military-led government said, and humanitarian aid groups scrambled to provide survivors medical care and shelter.

Information Minister Maung Maung Ohn also announced at a meeting in the capital, Naypyitaw, that 4,589 people were injured and 221 others were missing, state television MRTV reported.

The epicenter of the 7.7 magnitude quake on March 28 was near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city. It brought down thousands of buildings, buckled roads and destroyed bridges in multiple regions.

Local media reports of casualties have been much higher than the official figures. With telecommunications widely out and many places difficult to reach, the numbers could rise sharply as more details come in.

A report issued Thursday by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that the earthquake and aftershocks have affected more than 17 million people across 57 of the country’s 330 townships, including more than 9 million who were severely affected.

“The coming days will be critical in determining the full scale of the disaster’s impact and the response required to meet the needs of millions affected,” it said.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher and special envoy Julie Bishop will arrive in Myanmar on Friday.

The secretary-general appealed to the international community to immediately step up funding for quake victims “to match the scale of this crisis,” and urged unimpeded access to reach those in need.

“The earthquake has supercharged the suffering – with the monsoon season just around the corner,” he said.

The World Health Organization said that according to its initial assessment, four hospitals and one health center had been completely destroyed, while another 32 hospitals and 18 health centers had been partially damaged.

“With infrastructure compromised and patient numbers surging, access to health care has become nearly impossible in many of the worst-hit areas,” the U.N. said. “Thousands of people are in urgent need of trauma care, surgical interventions and treatment for disease outbreaks.”

A mobile hospital from India and a joint Russian-Belarusian hospital also were now operating in Mandalay.

With many left homeless by the quake, and many others staying away from their homes because of fears that ongoing aftershocks will bring them down, workers in Naypyitaw labored in the 40 C (104 F) heat to busily erect big tents in open fields to provide some shelter.

In Mandalay, local residents gave slices of watermelon to Chinese volunteers taking a break from the high temperatures.

More than 1,550 international rescuers were operating alongside locals on Thursday, according to a statement from the military. Rescue supplies and equipment have been sent by 17 countries.

Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into a civil war.

The quake worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis, with more than 3 million people displaced from their homes and nearly 20 million in need even before it hit, according to the United Nations.

As concerns grew that ongoing fighting could hamper humanitarian aid efforts, the military declared a temporary ceasefire Wednesday, through April 22. The announcement followed unilateral temporary ceasefires announced by armed resistance groups opposed to military rule.

The military said that it would still take “necessary” measures against those groups, if they use the ceasefire to regroup, train or launch attacks.

Already on Thursday, there were reports from local media in Kachin state in the north of Myanmar that military attacks continued in several areas, but they couldn’t be independently confirmed.

Prior to the earthquake, the military was battling the Kachin Independence Army militia group. The KIA on Wednesday also declared a ceasefire but reserved the right to defend itself. It was unclear how the reported fighting broke out.

The earthquake shook Kachin, but there have been no reports of damage there.

In Bangkok, where the quake brought down a skyscraper under construction, the search for survivors and bodies continued as Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt said that a possible sound of life was detected in the rubble. By near day’s end, however, nobody was found.

Twenty-two people were killed and 35 injured in the city, mostly by the collapse of the unfinished building.

___

Jintamas Saksornchai contributed to this report.

Rare greenhouse gas law in NC could get pulled back by GOP legislators

Rare greenhouse gas law in NC could get pulled back by GOP legislators

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Republican lawmakers and the Democratic governor worked together in 2021 to enact a rare energy law in the South that sought to sharply reduce power plant emissions by 2030 and ultimately reach carbon neutrality.

“Today, North Carolina moves strongly into a reliable and affordable clean energy future,” then-Gov. Roy Cooper said at the October 2021 bill signing ceremony. “This is a new beginning.”

But now, amid changing priorities at the federal level, the state’s Republican-controlled legislature is seeking to repeal the law’s requirement of taking “all reasonable steps to achieve” reducing carbon dioxide output 70% from 2005 levels by 2030. The legislation wouldn’t end meeting the carbon neutrality standard by 2050 as the 2021 law still requires.

Senate bill supporters contend getting rid of the 70% target deadline would help Duke Energy — the state’s dominant electric utility — assemble less expensive power sources now and moderate the electricity rate increases necessary to reach the 2050 standard. Besides, they say, state regulators already recently pushed back the interim deadline, as the law allows.

The effort comes as President Donald Trump’s administration has proposed rolling back federal environmental and climate change policies, which critics say could boost pollution and threaten human health. Republicans in Washington, D.C., and Raleigh are touting them as ways to reduce the cost of living and boost the economy.

Trump “is taking bold action to make America energy-dominant!” state Senate leader Phil Berger, a bill sponsor, wrote on the social platform X. “To bolster his efforts here in NC, we’re cutting costs for families, removing arbitrary benchmarks, and encouraging new nuclear facilities.”

At least 17 other states — most controlled by Democrats — have laws setting similar net-zero power plant emissions or 100% renewable energy targets, the Natural Resources Defense Council says. North Carolina and Virginia are the only ones from the Southeast.

2021 law allowed for delays

Some North Carolina environmental groups didn’t embrace the 2021 law, saying it lacked low-income customer assistance and contained loopholes to delay the 2030 mandate. Now they’re criticizing the bill passed by the Senate in March as stalling climate action and benefiting Duke Energy financially. The 2021 law also lets the utility seek multiyear rate increases and performance-based incentives.

“Duke Energy agreed four years ago to carbon-reduction goals in exchange for an easier path to rate increases. It’s taken full advantage of the smoother rate-setting process, but now wants to renege on its end of the deal,” North Carolina Sierra Club director Chris Herndon said.

Last fall, the state Utilities Commission, which regulates rates and services for public utilities, accepted that it was “no longer reasonable or executable” for Duke Energy to seek the 70% reduction by 2030, pushing that deadline back by at least four years. Eliminating the interim standard likely would mean scaling back or delaying solar and wind energy production now and relying more on natural gas over the next decade, according to modeling from Duke Energy and a state agency that represents consumers before the Utilities Commission.

“The interim goal is not allowing our commission to make least-cost decisions, because the interim goal is driving fast, expensive behavior selecting generation types,” said outgoing Sen. Paul Newton, a retired Duke Energy executive and bill sponsor. The bill also would open the door to the long-term construction of a large nuclear power plant, Newton added.

Customer cost savings?

Senate Republicans cite the models to estimate that removing the interim goal would reduce by at least $13 billion what Duke Energy would have to spend — and pass on to customers — in the next 25 years. Democrats voting against the measure questioned the $13 billion figure and supported an interim goal.

“Not having any target, even an aspirational target, could mean that we don’t stay on track to get to our 2050 goal,” Democratic Sen. Julie Mayfield said.

The bill, now in the House, also would allow Duke Energy to seek higher electric rates to cover incremental construction costs of a nuclear or gas-powered plant, rather than wait until the project’s end. Newton said the option would avoid one massive rate increase at the project’s conclusion, reining in customer costs. Critics say it would boost Duke Energy’s profits on expensive projects even if never completed.

In supporting the bill, Duke Energy said the “legislation allows modern, efficient and always-on generation to be deployed faster and cheaper” and pointed to the commission’s order last fall. While the North Carolina Chamber backs the bill, some companies oppose it.

New governor pans bill

Any approved final bill would head to Cooper’s successor, Gov. Josh Stein. The Democrat contends the bill would hurt electricity users and threaten the state’s clean-energy economy.

“We should be looking for solutions that create jobs and lower costs for hardworking North Carolinians, not increasing their financial burden,” Stein spokesperson Morgan Hopkins said.

While Democrats have enough legislative seats to uphold Stein’s vetoes if they remain united, Duke Energy often finds allies in both parties. Three Democrats voted for the Senate bill with Republicans.

Uncertainty over the bill’s future could grow after Newton resigned from the Senate last week to take a university job.

Recent News

Powered By SoCast