Utilities

The town of Star’s leaders want to build on the success of an arts facility by finding new uses for the other shuttered textile buildings and historic structures that line Main Street. But while most of Star’s historic buildings are standing strong, the town’s water and sewer infrastructure is showing its age.

Current state law only makes it a misdemeanor to vandalize equipment that interrupts the transmission of electricity. A perpetrator also would face a $250,000 fine and potential lawsuits.

The company says the additional revenues would go in part to make grid reliability and security improvements and help it collect more renewable energy.

“The security and reliability of the nation’s electric grid is one of FERC’s top priorities,” FERC Chairman Richard Glick said at a commission meeting Thursday.

Duke Energy said it found no sign of property damage at a hydropower station in South Carolina where gunfire was reported nearby.

Business and residential customers of Piedmont Natural Gas could see their rates go up Nov. 1 under an agreement the company reached last week with customer groups and the state's utility consumer advocate.

The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission voted Tuesday to begin rulemaking that would set limits on carbon emissions from energy plants to address climate change. The proposal also calls for North Carolina to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which includes 11 states from Maine to Virginia.

Regulators have given final approval to rate increases that begin June 1 for customers of Duke Energy's two North Carolina divisions.

North Carolina regulators have approved a rate increase for Duke Energy customers in the central part of the state, including Charlotte — but it's less than the company asked for. Wednesday's order by the North Carolina Utilities Commission also trims what Duke had hoped to charge customers for the cost of cleaning up coal ash.

As many as 1 million families in North Carolina have fallen behind on their electric, water and sewage bills, threatening residents and their cities with…