Burning Coal, Burning Cash

North Carolina spent $2.35 billion on imported coal in 2008, ranking second among US states for total net imports. The document highlights that the state relies on coal for 60.5% of its electricity generation despite having no in-state coal supplies. It advocates for a transition to energy efficiency and homegrown renewables, such as biomass, solar, wind, and small-scale hydropower, to reduce this economic drain and improve energy independence.

• In 2008, North Carolina spent $2.35 billion on net coal imports, the second highest total among US states. The state ranked third for net imports per person ($254), fourth for net imports relative to gross state product (0.59 percent), and seventh in net weight (29.4 million tons).
• North Carolina's electricity generation in 2008 was heavily dependent on coal (60.5%) and nuclear power (31.7%), with coal being entirely imported from sources as far as Wyoming and Colombia.
• Duke Energy was the state's largest importer of coal, spending $1.27 billion in 2008. The Roxboro plant in Semora, operated by Progress Energy Carolina, was the most import-dependent facility in the state, spending $550 million in 2008 and ranking as the twenty-sixth-largest source of carbon dioxide emissions among US coal plants.
• The document argues that North Carolina under-invests in energy efficiency, spending only 75 cents per person on ratepayer-funded programs in 2007, which is approximately 340 times less than its spending on imported coal.
• North Carolina has a renewable electricity and energy efficiency portfolio standard requiring utilities to reach 12.5 percent of electricity demand by 2021. The state has potential in biomass, solar, small-scale hydropower, and wind power (land-based and offshore) that could technically exceed its 2008 power demand by more than 2.5 times.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2010). Burning Coal, Burning Cash. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-North-Carolina.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Burning Coal, Burning Cash. 2010. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-North-Carolina.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Burning Coal, Burning Cash |date=May 2010 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-North-Carolina.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2010burning, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Burning Coal, Burning Cash}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2010}, month = may, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-North-Carolina.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }