ELIZABETH CITY — The state Department of Environmental Quality will continue to offer public listening sessions on the development of the state’s Clean Energy Plan, with the next taking place 1-3:30 p.m. Thursday at the Museum of the Albemarle.
The state agency in an announcement Tuesday stated that because of “the success of the March listening sessions in Wilmington, Asheville and Charlotte, duplicate sessions in those cities are no longer necessary.”
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The public sessions will include updates from the stakeholder workshop process and give attendees an opportunity to provide public comment on key energy issues, according to DEQ. The public can also provide input online by completing the surveys and responding to in-depth questions or offer general comments at deq.nc.gov/cleanenergyplan.
The Clean Energy Plan is part of Gov. Roy Cooper’s Executive Order 80, which addresses the impacts of climate change and the state’s transition to a clean energy economy.
“Executive Order No. 80 acknowledges North Carolina’s leadership in technology innovation, research and development, and skilled workforce to promote clean energy technology solutions,” the DEQ website states. “It calls for market innovations that drive economic expansion and job creation to produce a smart, resilient, and a modern electric grid while balancing reliability, cost, economic growth, equity, and environmental and public health impacts.”
In developing the Clean Energy Plan, DEQ is looking for ways to ensure all state residents, including in underserved communities, have access to clean, reliable and affordable energy, spur economic growth, as well as create a more reliable and resilient power grid in the face of increasingly severe weather events.
A session will also take place 1-3:30 p.m. May 17 at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro.
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For the latest information on the Clean Energy Plan development process, public session schedule and future workshops or webinars, visit deq.nc.gov/cleanenergyplan.
