Grasping at Straws: Duke Concedes ACP “Plan B” May Be Needed

For months, Duke Energy’s hubris has been catching up with it.

The massive fracked gas Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP), which the utility once talked about as a done deal, has faced multiple legal challenges: Seven federal permits have been stayed, suspended, or vacated, leading to a growing suspicion that the project will never be completed.

Ever since the 600-mile pipeline was proposed four years ago, communities along its route and beyond have opposed it. Now, with the project two years behind schedule and more than $2 billion over budget, Duke CEO Lynn Good concedes that the company is considering a “Plan B” if the ACP can’t move forward soon. Good suggests Duke could simply choose to run another fracked gas pipeline from eastern to western North Carolina—but there’s much more to the story than that.

A lot has changed since the ACP was first proposed.

Duke needs to be looking for truly sustainable options for our communities. To avoid severe negative health effects, polluted water, and the worst impacts of climate change, Duke must abandon its dirty fossil fuel projects and invest in the clean, renewable energy sources that are already abundant and affordable. The people have spoken out loud and clear: We don’t want this—or any other—pipeline.


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