The ongoing wrangling before the N.C. Utilities Commission over Duke Energy’s request for a rate hike has become pretty good theater. The parade of executives, politicians, protesters and various experts are providing a snapshot of current politics, competing ideas about energy, and — to the point here — a peek into the corporate mindset at the Charlotte-based energy giant. The latter was the case yesterday when Duke exec Brett Carter revealed a bit more about the company’s attitudes toward low-income customers than Duke’s PR folks are going to be comfortable with.
Yesterday, the Utilities Commission and others grilled Carter on why Duke can’t put together a plan to lower electricity rates a bit for low-income customers (as of now, all the company offers is a pathetic, one-time “charitable” contribution). According to the Observer, here is what Carter told the commission: “That was a conversation that we had, but the administration of providing that would be outside the purview of what we could do.” Translating Carter’s “bureaucratese” into plain English, what he said was, “We’re not gonna do that because it’s too much trouble and we just don’t feel like it.”
As NC Policy Watch writes today, “pardon us Brett, but that’s a crock of bull.” They correctly go on to remind Carter that Duke Energy is a public utility that exists to serve the public interest (my emphasis). In other words, you can’t act like some regular giant corporation whose only emphasis is on the bottom line. Plus, Carter’s claim that it is beyond Duke’s capability to keep up with the state’s poor people is ridiculous. Again, from NC Policy Watch:
Right now, something like 35 separate telephone companies in North Carolina (all of them with less income and resources than [Duke Energy]) manage to do just that; they provide discounted phone service to people who are poor enough to be eligible for a number of low income support programs. Sure, the system is imperfect and a hassle, and they’d probably rather not be bothered, but they do it anyway.At some point a few years back, some courageous public officials told the phone companies: “We know you don’t like it, but tough. This is the 21st Century -— figure out a way. You’ll still make boatloads of money. So get over it and do something for someone other than your overpaid CEO’s for a change.”
Yes indeedy, now that is what the Utilities Commission needs to tell Duke. And here’s another idea for Duke Energy: If helping poorer customers shrinks your bottom line a bit, let the shareholders absorb the loss. Again, you are a public utility, you’re supposed to be primarily concerned with serving the public interest. Considering that Duke Energy reported more than a billion dollars in profits for 2010, and yet not only didn’t pay taxes on that profit but even got back $5 million in 2010 from the IRS, I’d say it’s more than past time for it to reassess how to best serve the region. Hard times call for new ways of thinking, but we’re seeing precious little of it from the Voltron Towers uptown.
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This article appears in Nov 29 – Dec 5, 2011.
This amounts to Duke Energy customers who do not qualify paying more to subsidize those with a lower income. If you’re for this type of policy – MOVE TO GREECE.
Folks that support this are disillusioned in thinking that the cost of such a policy will not be on the backs of folks who work for a living. Where do people come up with this stuff? Want to support folks that are less fortunate? GIVE – there are private organizations which will handle such a need much more efficient than a corporation or a government entity.
WHERE DOES THIS STUFF COME FROM?
From those, according to their means.
To those, according to their need.
– Carl Marx (socialist)
Devin, you’re confusing a private corporation with a public utility. Duke En. is allowed to operate independently, and not as a publicly owned entity, with the express proviso (look it up) that they are obligated to serve the public — in other words, their obligation to public service is supposed to trump the profit motive when necessary. As the blog post noted, phone companies do this kind of thing all the time and no one complains about it, so get a grip.
Also, “disillusioned” doesn’t mean what you think it means. Look it up, particularly before you write something for the public to read.
And No, there are not enough private organizations, churches, etc. to handle the economic distress going on in the U.S. these days — this has been written about and confirmed so many times and in so many places, it’s amazing that the Fox ignoroids still spew this selfish junk. But then, every — and I mean every — poll on the subject shows that Fox viewers are the least informed news consumers in the country.
And one more thing, it’s Karl Marx, not Carl (Carl was Groucho’s evil twin, just fyi. Really, it’s true, I heard it on Sean Hannity’s show). But seriously, thanks for the input – I value your opinion.
The quote is actually “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need”, and is taken out of context. While Marx did include it in his Critique of the Gotha Program, he did not originate it.
Marx was a Communist, not a Socialist. They are not the same thing.
John Grooms and DLP thank you. It’s good to know there are still people who can think and discern at the same time!
It’s quite sad that idiots like Devin exist that think all poor people are simply lazy.
Pull that silver-spoon out of your entitled mouth and take a look at the real world.