House Bill 298, Affordable and Reliable Energy Act was the only bill heard in the House Public Utilities Committee today.  When a mandate for utility companies to derive 12 ½% of energy from renewable energy sources (solar, wind and biomass) passed in 2007, it seemed like a raw deal for taxpayers and rate payers.  Since then we’ve learned the mandate and the subsidies are in fact a raw deal for taxpayers and rate payers.  House Bill 298 offered an opportunity to roll back the mandate and sunset the taxpayer funded subsidies for an industry who’s time has come to make it or break it on its own. Unfortunately the committee voted to continue the mandate and the subsidies and the raw deal for tax payers and rate payers.  The vote was 13 yes and 18 no.  What a raw deal….

Those members voting yes to repeal the mandate and subsidies. They voted to lift the raw deal on taxpayers and rate payers:

Mike Hager (R- Rutherford)

Dean Arp (R-Union)

Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke)

William Brawley (R-Mecklenburg)

Rick Catlin (R-New Hanover)

Jeff Collins (R-Nash)

Jeffrey Elmore (R-Wilkes)

Mark Hollo (R-Alexander)

Julia Howard (R-Davie)

Susan Martin (R-Wilson)

Chris Millis (R-Pender)

Dennis Riddell (R-Alamance)

Chris Whitmire (R-Transylvania)

 

Those members voting no to lift the mandate and subsidies.  Their vote continues the raw deal for taxpayers and rate payers:

Jerry Dockham (R-Davidson)

Susie Hamilton (D-New Hanover)

Ruth Samuelson (R- Mecklenburg)

Kelly Alexander (D- Mecklenburg)

Nelson Dollar (R-Wake)

Beverly Earle (D-Mecklenburg)

Rosa Gill (D-Wake)

Duane Hall (D-Wake)

Ed Hanes (D- Forsyth)

Pricey Harrison (D- Guilford)

Charles Jeter (R-Mecklenburg)

Linda Johnson (R-Cabarrus)

Marvin Lucas (D- Cumberland)

Paul Luebke (D-Durham)

Rodney Moore (D-Mecklenburg)

Tim Moore (R-Cleveland)

Garland Pierce (D- Scotland)

Michael Wray (D-Northhampton)

 

Absent:  Harry Warren (R-Rowan)

Excused from voting: Roger West (R-Cherokee)