hager, mike rep

=fac so<h1 class="title" itemprop="name" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px 0px 10px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1; letter-spacing: -0.05em; position: relative; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">INSTITUTE INDEX: The big money behind the latest attacks on renewable energy</h1><div id="node-13092" class="node node-type-article node-promoted clearfix" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); line-height: 19.5px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><article class="article-content">Date on which North Carolina state Rep. Mike Hager (R-Rutherford) told the audience at an event in Wilmington sponsored by Americans for Prosperity — a front group for the billionaires behind the Koch Industries oil refining and pipeline conglomerate — that he will continue his fight to freeze the state's renewable energy portfolio standard (REPS) during next year's legislative session: <a href="http://www.carolinajournal.com/articles/display_story.html?id=12561" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(71, 109, 151); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium;">11/12/2015</a>Under North Carolina's REPS, percent of electric utilities' retail sales that must now come from renewable sources: <a href="http://www.ncuc.commerce.state.nc.us/reps/reps.htm" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(71, 109, 151); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium;">6</a>Percent the REPS says must come from renewable sources by 2021: <a href="http://www.ncuc.commerce.state.nc.us/reps/reps.htm" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(71, 109, 151); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium;">12.5</a>Number of legislative proposals to freeze the REPS at current levels that Hager, a retired Duke Energy engineer and vice chair of the Public Utilities Committee, championed in this year's legislative session, and which passed the state House with AFP's backing and are pending in the Senate: <a href="http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/under-the-dome/article21400155.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(71, 109, 151); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium;">2</a>Hager's rank among the North Carolina legislature's top recipients of Duke Energy's campaign contributions: <a href="http://www.followthemoney.org/show-me?s=NC&y=2016,2015,2014,2013,2012,2011,2010,2009&f-core=1&f-fc=2&d-eid=856#[{1|gro=c-t-id" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(71, 109, 151); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium;">1</a>While Duke Energy claims to be "neutral" on North Carolina's REPS, amount it has contributed to a group called Consumers for Smart Solar, which is challenging a proposed pro-solar constitutional amendment in Florida: <a href="http://www.prwatch.org/news/2015/09/12940/koch-brothers-backing-misleading-anti-solar-campaign-florida" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(71, 109, 151); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium;">$60,000</a>Amount Duke Energy spent to help elect Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), who has campaigned against pro-solar policies: <a href="http://www.southernstudies.org/2015/01/duke-energys-donations-pay-off-in-florida-governor.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(71, 109, 151); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium;">at least $600,000</a>Amount contributed to Consumers for Smart Solar by the 60 Plus Association: <a href="http://www.prwatch.org/news/2015/09/12940/koch-brothers-backing-misleading-anti-solar-campaign-florida" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(71, 109, 151); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium;">$100,000</a>Between 2008 and 2013, amount 60 Plus received from five Koch-connected nonprofits: <a href="http://www.environmentamerica.org/sites/environment/files/reports/EA_BlockingtheSun_scrn_0.pdf" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(71, 109, 151); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium;">more than $40 million</a>Date on which Florida voters will go to the polls to vote on a pro-solar ballot initiative, as well as a competing anti-solar measure put forward by Consumers for Smart Solar: <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/10/22/3715134/sunshine-state-solar-court-decision/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(71, 109, 151); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium;">11/8/2016</a>Amount invested in clean energy development in North Carolina since it adopted its REPS in 2007: <a href="http://www.southernstudies.org/sites/default/files/NCSEA_econimpact2014.pdf" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(71, 109, 151); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium;">over $2.6 billion</a>Number of full-time jobs that development supported in the state annually: <a href="http://www.southernstudies.org/sites/default/files/NCSEA_econimpact2014.pdf" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(71, 109, 151); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium;">37,100</a>Monthly REPS charge for the average Duke Energy Carolinas customer, which Hager and his allies claim is excessive: <a href="http://www.cleanenergyconservatives.com/reps-2015/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(71, 109, 151); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium;">$.39</a>Amount REPS is expected to save North Carolina electricity customers through 2029 by avoiding the need for expensive new power plants: <a href="http://www.cleanenergyconservatives.com/reps-2015/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(71, 109, 151); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium;">$651 million</a>(Click on figure to go to source.)</article></div></div>