North Carolina Gubernatorial Candidates Split on Coal-Fired Power Plants. AP, April 22, 2008. "While the next governor of North Carolina is likely to face a host of environmental issues, none is likely to be more immediately contentious than the ongoing construction of Duke Energy Corp.'s new power generator at its Cliffside Steam Station. Work began in late January on the new 800-megwatt unit in western North Carolina, one day after the state Division of Air Quality approved a final permit... 'I was against the permitting of Cliffside and I've been public about that,' said Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, one of the two Democratic candidates for governor. 'I believe I may be the only candidate in the race who's said as governor there will never be another coal plant licensed on my watch.' A coalition of more than two dozen environmental groups -- including the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Sierra Club - have appealed the state's decision to grant the air quality permit and want a judge to halt construction... 'I still don't think it's too late for the Division of Air Quality to go back in and deny the permit,' said State Treasurer Richard Moore, Perdue's rival for the party's nomination. 'We have got to put an end to burning dirty coal'... All the leading candidates seeking the Republican nomination argue that North Carolina needs more electric capacity to meet the demand of a booming population expected to grow by 35 percent in the next two decades. Sen. Fred Smith said the new generator at Cliffside would be one of the cleanest coal-fired units in the nation... Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, who worked for 29 years at Duke until leaving the company last year to run for governor, bristled at the idea the state doesn't need the power the new generator will provide."
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