NC price gouging law in effect; Officials tout investments in power grid as state braces for storm
NORTH CAROLINA (WTVD) -- Monday, Governor Cooper declared a State of Emergency due to Tropical Storm Debby, with Attorney General Josh Stein announcing the state's price gouging law is now in effect.
"What we don't want as for sellers of goods or services, to take advantage of people's desperation, to make a quick buck," said Stein.
The law applies to essential items and services, ranging from water and food to gas and batteries, and extends to repairs in the storm's aftermath.
"It's not an objective measure. There's not a percentage increase. It's very subjective. And the law says unreasonably excessive price increases. And so part of it is the eye of the beholder. We have a lot of experience with this. So that's why we encourage folks to let us know so we can investigate, because you may not be sure if it's price gouging or not, let us take a look," said Stein.
However, not all price increases are necessarily violations of the law.
"Are there up charges coming from your suppliers or that the product is in high demand and so you're having to pay more for it to get it on your shelf or to put it in your pump," said Andy Ellen, President and General Counsel of the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association.
You can report potential price gouging by calling 1-877-566-7226 or by filing a complaint using this form.
The law has been in place since 2005, with Ellen explaining operators are fully aware of their responsibilities.
They're the pillar of their communities. They don't want to charge more than they're supposed to.Andy Ellen
Stein noted his office has taken about two dozen companies to court over the past few years and won back more than $1 million stemming from violations.
Power Grid Improvements
US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm met with state leaders and representatives for Duke Energy Tuesday to discuss federal investments in power grid improvements.
"We want to be able to use advanced technologies, advanced grid technologies to put more power on existing lines," said Granholm, during a visit to the company's Garner office.
Granholm announced North Carolina will receive $57 million for a project that focuses on enhancing transmission, funding that is a result of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
"This funding will help make outages less frequent. When you do have outages, it will help make those outages a shorter period of time, and it will allow for a more seamless hookup to solar and storage, which we know is important," said Governor Roy Cooper
The visit comes as North Carolina braces for the impact of Tropical Storm Debby, and concerns mount for possible power outages.
"We're at 6,900 crews that we're staging across the areas of the state where we think we're going to be the most impacted," said Duke Energy President Kendal Bowman.
According to the non-profit Climate Central, the southeast had the most reported weather-related power outages between 2000 and 2023, and North Carolina experienced the fourth most reported outages over that period.
"We've been investing over $500 million the past several years to improve the efficiency and to reduce the outage time and also to be more resilient to recircuit the lines so that people don't have to lose power," said Bowman.
If you've got somebody who needs a machine to breathe, you can't go eight hours with a blackout.Jennifer Granholm
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