Why Did the Charlotte Observer Ignore the Rest of the Story?
Roy Cooper, Cooper-Connected Political Committees Accepted Millions in Duke Energy Contributions
Answering an April 11 Charlotte Observer story, the North Carolina Republican Party today posted a “corrected” version of the report and noted AG Roy Cooper’s significant contributions (direct and indirect) from Duke Energy.
Scroll down to read the corrected story
“When media bias takes over, the people of North Carolina lose. It isn’t a question of Duke Energy, who gives to both political parties. It’s a question of why the Charlotte Observer refused to tell the whole story.” — Todd Poole, executive director of the North Carolina Republican Party.
* Corrected:
Duke Energy sharply increased donations to Democrat political committee with Cooper ties in 2013–2014
Duke Energy sharply increased its contributions to the Democrat Attorneys General Association (DAGA), a political committee with ties to Cooper, as coal ash problems ensnarled the company last year and as the attorney general was involved in litigation regarding Duke Energy rate hikes.
Cooper, North Carolina’s attorney general since 2001 and a former member of the state legislature from 1986–2000, is expected to seek a first term as governor in 2016.
A Duke power plant in Eden spilled up to 39,000 tons of ash into the Dan River in February 2014. One month prior, Duke gave the attorneys general association $15,000.
The attorney general’s office was heavily involved in the state’s lawsuit against Duke Energy. Four days after a $99,111 settlement was announced, Duke donated $5,000 to DAGA. A little over two months later, Duke again contributed $5,000 more to DAGA for a total of $10,000 in 2013. Duke did not contribute to DAGA in 2012.
The liberal campaign watchdog group Democracy North Carolina, which is a member of the secretive BlueprintNC organization whose leaked 2013 memo outlined a strategy to “eviscerate” and “cripple” Governor McCrory state leaders, did not report the contributions, which the Observer did not investigate or verify as a part of its hit piece on Governor McCrory.
“It puts Roy Cooper in a compromising position and raises legitimate questions, when a corporation he’s involved in litigation and regulatory matters with gives this much money to a financial backer, of how objective he can be,” said executive director Bob Hall.
Duke says its gives to both political parties to advocate for its customers and shareholders. It can’t dictate how the DAGA uses its contributions, the company said.
Attorneys General for South Carolina, Florida, Ohio and Indiana — other states served by Duke Energy — are all Republicans. Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway is a Democrat, although Duke energy only serves a small number of Kentucky residents across the river from Indiana.
“This had nothing to do with anything about Dan River or the rate hike cases,” [Duke] spokesman Tom Williams said. “We don’t supply funds on any individual issues. We typically mirror the nature of our service territories, which favor incumbents.”
According to the liberal group Democracy North Carolina, Roy Cooper has received tens of thousands of dollars of campaign cash from Duke Energy during his time as attorney general. Between January 2000 and December 2012, for instance, Cooper has received $81,594 in Duke-related political contributions, including:
$44,594 from Duke & Progress Energy employees, former employees and spouses.
$37,000 from Duke Energy PAC and Progress Energy PAC.
Asked if Duke’s donations influenced Cooper, chief spokesman Noelle Talley said by e-mail that “I’m not going to dignify that question with a response.”
The attorney general was squarely in the middle of North Carolina’s debate over coal ash last year and was in the midst of litigation regarding the N.C. Utilities Commission’s approval of Duke Energy rate hikes.
Cooper, despite his official role as attorney general, sent a February 2014 campaign fundraising email politicizing the Dan River spill.
Lawmakers worked from McCrory’s template in adopting first-of-its-kind legislation that gave Duke until 2029 to close its 32 ash ponds in the state. Environmental advocates complained that the bill included loopholes that benefited Duke and did too little to protect water supplies.
When legislators wavered late in their session, McCrory ordered state regulators to begin testing groundwater near Duke’s ash ponds and to take steps toward draining high-risk ponds.
The legislation became law in September without the governor’s signature. McCrory, as well as former governors Jim Hunt and Jim Martin, objected on constitutional grounds to its creation of a new Coal Ash Management Commission.
His administration claimed credit for filing state lawsuits against Duke before the Dan River spill, although those came after pressure from environmental groups. Last month, regulators slapped Duke with a state-record $25 million fine for contaminating groundwater. Duke has appealed the fine.
McCrory sold his Duke stock in April 2014 after news accounts of protests urging the governor to sever ties to the company. He later acknowledged mistakenly misstating the timing of the sales on ethics forms.
The Democrat Attorneys General Association’s website says it is a “political organization formed to support the election of Democrats to the office of Attorney General in all of the states and territories of the US.”
As a so-called 527 political organization, the association can receive and spend unlimited amounts to promote the election of candidates without directly coordinating with them.
Duke Energy famously extended a $10 million line of credit to the Democrat National Convention to host their nominating convention in Charlotte, and eventually forgave the debt. Additionally, they provided $1.5 million in in-kind contributions and CEO Jim Rogers donated more that $330,000. North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper served on the host committee for the convention.
Duke also gave $200,000 to the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) in 2012 and $200,000 in 2014, Democracy North Carolina said. The Associated Press recently reported the DGA “appears inclined toward Cooper” in the upcoming democrat primary for governor. When former Governor Bev Perdue took office in 2009, donations from Duke Energy to the DGA spiked. When she was elected as vice chair of the leadership board for the DGA in 2010, donations from Duke Energy to the DGA spiked yet again.
From 2001–2012 Cooper, Easley and Perdue failed to take action to address the coal ash issue.
Governor McCrory’s administration is the first in North Carolina history to take any enforcement action on coal ash.
*This story was not printed by the Charlotte Observer. Instead, they printed this.
