Duke Boss Calls for Energy Leadership

It’s not impossible to pass a new energy bill this year, says one of the most vocal proponents of energy reform, who also happens to head one of the nation’s biggest utilities.

Jim Rogers, CEO of Duke Energy, tells the Charlotte Business Journal’s John Downey that it will take President Barack Obama’s direct involvement to make such legislation happen. “I think it’s necessary that they stand up with specific proposals and drive the process in the Senate,” Rogers said.

Rogers’ own utility is one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide—the most common greenhouse gas--in the country, thanks to the coal-fired power plants it uses in the South and parts of the Midwest. But he has nonetheless been a long-time advocate of legislation capping greenhouse gas emissions.

This week, Rogers traveled to Washington to lobby for energy reform.

Rogers and Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, took the line that utilities may be the first in line to deal with limits on carbon dioxide emissions in an op-ed piece published online Wednesday by D.C-based newspaper and website Politico. The piece said “a meaningful energy and climate bill this year will be challenging — but not impossible.” And it noted that electric utilities have been reaching consensus on the need for carbon controls and could be asked to go first.

It also warned “utilities may be willing to go first. But they are not going to be willing to go alone.” Rogers says such a move has to be a first step to a comprehensive approach to energy and climate-change issues.