Petition to Withdraw or Reject New River Light & Power’s Proposal for a Punitive New Fee on Solar Customers in the Town of Boone
Ed Miller, General Manager, New River Light & Power; Nick Katers, Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Management, Appalachian State University; Sheri Everts, Chancellor, Appalachian State University; North Carolina Utilities Commission;
We were disappointed to learn last week that New River Light and Power is seeking to tack on a $99 annual administrative fee for solar customers in the town of Boone. New River already has some of the most unfriendly policies toward solar customers in the state of North Carolina and this would make it worse.
Last year, the town of Boone unanimously approved a resolution calling for community-wide climate neutrality by 2030 and 100 percent clean energy by 2040. We need to come together to demand New River change its policies to encourage customer-owned solar power generation and to align with Boone’s Community Climate Action Plan. Make your voice heard by signing the petition!
Want to know more? Check out our fact sheet about New River Light and Power's proposed solar fee!
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To:
Ed Miller, General Manager, New River Light & Power; Nick Katers, Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Management, Appalachian State University; Sheri Everts, Chancellor, Appalachian State University; North Carolina Utilities Commission;
From:
[Your Name]
The undersigned residents of the Town of Boone and members of the Appalachian State University community urge you to withdraw or reject New River Light & Power’s request for an additional “administrative” charge of $8.25 per month (or $99 per year) against solar customers in the Town of Boone and instead support beginning the process of replacing the utility’s “forced sale” policy for solar, which has long restricted the ability of Boone residents and businesses to go solar, and stifled development of the rooftop solar industry in our town. Specifically, we urge that you:
1. Withdraw or reject NRLP’s request to impose a $8.25 monthly fee on customers in the town of Boone who choose to install solar;
2. Replace NRLP’s “forced sale” (also referred to as a “buy all, sell all”) policy for solar customers, which prevents them from using their own homegrown electricity and discourages solar investment, with a policy that encourages customer-owned generation and is consistent with the Town of Boone’s Community Climate Action Plan, Appalachian State University’s Climate Action Plan and the North Carolina Clean Energy Plan;
3. Provide ample opportunity for public input from members of our community on the anticipated Cost of Service Study and any new solar policy that NRLP plans to develop in the year ahead.