Stop watching us! We're trying to make money here
It's been
a rough time for Duke Energy. That's been making hundreds of millions of dollars pulling natural resources from the grounds of North Carolina for years. And just because of
one little mistake that's forced
numerous environmental violations into the light, suddenly Duke Energy finds itself having to cut
plea deal after
plea deal.
Duke, the country’s largest energy company, pleaded guilty to nine violations of the Clean Water Act and agreed to pay $102 million in fines, including $68 million in criminal fines and $34 million that will go toward environmental projects and land conservation.
The plea entered in federal court in Greenville, North Carolina was expected as part of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice announced in February.
Lest you feel bad for Duke Energy don't worry, they're getting off pretty easy considering that they've seemingly poisoned most of the water they
come into contact with in North Carolina. While the money involved is a pittance of what Duke Energy makes for contaminating our waterways, there are other aspects of the various deals they have had to strike to
wiggle out of courts.
Duke has separately agreed to close and clean up coal ash sites at 14 coal plants in North Carolina, though their methods have been disputed.
"Our highest priority is to operate our system as safely as possible for the customers and communities we serve," Duke said in a statement.
Hard to believe that that's been your highest priority when you're pleading guilty to the exact opposite set of facts.