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Community Members Want Promises For NC Clean Energy Policies Kept

People came from across the state to rally in Winston-Salem for action to reduce greenhouse emissions in North Carolina. They want promises for change by Gov. Roy Cooper and other state agencies to be kept. KERI BROWN/WFDD

Environmental groups and several community members rallied in Winston-Salem on Tuesday to demand clean energy policies in North Carolina. Their actions come as state agencies are working on draft proposals to reduce the use of fossil fuels in the state.

Dozens of people gathered in front of the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art to voice their concerns about climate change impacts on North Carolina. It's the same site where the state's Interagency Climate Council held its fourth meeting to discuss the issue.

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The crowd listens to several speakers during the event. KERI BROWN/WFDD

Many people held signs that said, “No Fracked Gas Pipelines" and "Plug Into Renewable Energy.”       

“I'm worried about cutting down forest to make wood pellets,” says Ashley Daniels of Wilmington. ”Open-pit lagoon systems in Sampson, Duplin, Bladen County are not a good idea, so all of these things affect one another. They affect real people and their lives and their health, so there are a lot of things that we need to turn around in North Carolina.

“I just, I want to make a change. I'm getting tired of it. I'm getting fed up of no action. We have technology now for renewable energy, and I want us to get over to wind energy, solar energy,” says Kris Dang of Fayetteville.

They want the state to consider their input as the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality develops a Clean Energy Plan.

It's part of an executive order by Gov. Cooper to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent by 2025. Several other agencies are also developing proposals to help meet that goal. 

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Some who attended the rally say they want to see more wind and solar in the state's electric grid. KERI BROWN/WFDD

"I'm concerned about coal ash. And I want the state to ensure that the input of impacted communities — which are often black, brown, and poor — is woven into the foundational fabric of this plan,” says Bobby Jones of Goldsboro.

DEQ officials say a draft of their Clean Energy Plan is expected in August.

 

You can follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

 

 

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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