Discussions surrounding Duke Energy’s plans to build new power plants and meet the state’s climate goal continued in Raleigh on Wednesday — though the decision will ultimately be made without a key member.
Utilities Commissioner Donald van der Vaart had previously been absent from the proceedings, prompting objections to his continued participation in the hearings.
“If he attends only a portion of the hearing, he will still be allowed to participate in the decision-making of this matter unless a party objects,” William Brawley, chairman of the North Carolina Utilities Commission, said last Tuesday, when the multiday hearing began…