Green Energy
Our communities deserve clean, sustainable, homegrown energy. We believe North Carolina can lead the South into a 21st-century energy economy that’s built to last.
MountainTrue is dedicated to helping North Carolina communities transition to renewable energy. We work with local community members, policymakers and utilities to bring our region sustainable solutions for our ever-growing energy needs.
Our Successes
MountainTrue has been involved in environmental action and energy conservation for decades to ensure that our region is moving towards sustainable energy solutions. Together with partner organizations and our engaged community, we have secured the retirement of Duke Energy’s Asheville coal plant, kept large transmission lines from cutting through our communities, successfully advocated for North Carolina to order a full cleanup of all remaining coal ash pits in the state, and much more.
>Read more about our energy successes!
The Blue Horizons Project
With a growing population and increasingly technology-dependent culture, the energy needs of Buncombe County have grown – and continue to grow – significantly larger. Soon, our energy demand will strain our ability to meet it. If our demand continues to increase at its current rate, in five short years we won’t have the capacity to meet it.
In our area, it’s winter that presents the greatest challenge. During the coldest days, the amount of energy we need to heat our homes spikes sharply.
The Blue Horizons Project is all about making a clean energy future a reality in Buncombe County and preserving our skies and waters for generations to come. Here you’ll find resources, tips and information for the first step in that journey – making your home and business more energy efficient.
To start saving energy now, visit https://bluehorizonsproject.com/.
To read an op/ed about the Blue Horizons Project co-authored by MountainTrue Co-Director Julie Mayfield, click here.
Become a Member of the Recycling and Waste Team in Henderson County
This task force promotes city, county and regional recycling programs (including curb-side pick-up) and advocates to improve Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle programs. The Recycling and Waste Team educates the public and policymakers about best practices by speaking at Commission meetings, writing letters-to-the-editor, holding public forums, contacting schools and businesses, and organizing eco-tours. For more information or to become a committee member, email MountainTrue’s Southern Regional Director Gray Jernigan at gray@mountaintrue.org.
Climate Listening Project
> Visit the Climate Listening Project website
Energy and Sustainability News
Tell the NC Utilities Commission: Enough is Enough. No More Duke Rate Hikes For Dirty Energy.
Duke Energy is trying to raise our electric bills to pay for dirty energy. Again. The company’s latest rate hike proposal would increase residential rates by 6.7% – or about $97 more per year for the average electricity user.
It’s time for the North Carolina Utilities Commission to put an end to this behavior. Take action here to tell the NC Utilities Commission: No more Duke rate hikes for dirty energy.
Historic Settlement Results In Largest Coal Ash Cleanup In America
On January 2, MountainTrue, other community partners and our legal counsel the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) announced a historic settlement with Duke Energy and the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality. The agreement mandates that 80 million tons of coal ash will be excavated from six Duke Energy coal ash sites: Allen, Belews Creek, Cliffside, Marshall, Mayo, and Roxboro. Prior settlements and court orders require cleanups and excavation of coal ash at the eight other Duke Energy sites in North Carolina for the excavation of 46 million tons of coal ash. This agreement now puts in place a comprehensive cleanup plan for all coal ash lagoons at all 14 Duke Energy sites in North Carolina under which 126 million tons of ash has been or will be excavated across the state and will result in the largest coal ash cleanup in America to date.
On Jan. 15, tell the NC Utilities Commission: No Rate Hikes for Dirty Energy!
Duke Energy is trying to raise our electric bills to pay for dirty energy. Again. The company’s latest rate hike proposal would increase residential electricity costs by another 6.7% – or about $97 more per year for the average electricity user. It would also come only two years after their last rate hike, and would be their fifth rate hike in ten years. Join MountainTrue members in Franklin on January 15 and in Morganton on January 16 to tell the NC Utilities Commission: Enough is enough. Don’t let Duke pass the bill for more dirty energy to customers.
Tell Buncombe County’s Board of Commissioners: Thanks for Voting for the Solar RFP. Now, Make Solar Energy a Reality.
On November 5, Buncombe County’s Board of Commissioners voted 6-1 to request proposals for solar energy on county-owned buildings and land. With their vote, the County has taken a crucial first step in walking their talk on renewable energy. Now, we’re calling on the Board of Commissioners to go beyond exploring renewable energy to funding and building it – and to get started as soon as possible.
