Carrboro leaders sue Duke Energy for damaging the environment, costing town, lawsuit says

CARRBORO, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Town of Carrboro is hoping to make history by taking on the main energy supplier for the entire region.

The town is suing Duke Energy over what it said is the supplier's impact on the climate.

"The climate crisis is here, and we are in an urgent fight for the future of this planet. And the window is closing," said Mayor Barbara Foushee.

The mayor and council voted unanimously to take on Duke Energy over what they claim is climate deception; suing them for pushing fossil fuels over cleaner sources of energy for decades, damaging the environment, and costing the town money.

The case was filed on Wednesday morning in the Orange County Superior Court.

"If we are going to meet this moment with the urgency that it requires, corporations like Duke Energy must be made to reinvest their ill-gotten gains into the communities that they have deceived," said Mayor Pro Tem Danny Nowell.

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While several other states have filed lawsuits over climate change, town leaders said this is among the first of its kind for a municipality in the country, specifically seeking damages from an electric utility, for "climate deception."

Although a jury would determine an amount, the town lawyers estimate that years of storm damage, heating and cooling costs, and damage to roads and infrastructure from climate change would add up to $60 million.

"As a result of the deceptions by Duke fossil fuel companies, and others in the industry, we didn't make that transition to renewable energy when we reasonably should have, and when we could have. And as a result, there's a major gulf between where we should be at and where we're at right now," said attorney Matthew Quinn.

In response, Duke Energy told ABC11, "We are in the process of reviewing the complaint. Duke Energy is committed to its customers and communities and will continue working with policymakers and regulators to deliver reliable and increasingly clean energy while keeping rates as low as possible."

Right now, Carrboro doesn't have plans to add on any other towns or communities as plaintiffs but they do hope if the case makes it to a jury, and if they win it would open the door for other cities and states to challenge big energy companies.