Gov. Roy Cooper’s handing of the permit process for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline is under scrutiny.
New information from public records requests raises questions about the role he played in the dispute between Duke Energy and Strata Solar, a solar energy company that Cooper was once in business with and his brother continues to make money from. NC Insider Reporter Lauren Horsch combed through public records including Cooper’s schedule and e-mails and texts with his staff, which revealed a 2017 correspondence from the CEO of Strata Solar requesting that the governor make “a call to Duke leadership.”
There was also correspondence between Gov. Cooper’s staff and consultants for his re-election campaign regarding the pipeline.
Horsch shares her findings with Host Frank Stasio. The two are also joined by NC Insider Editor Colin Campbell who outlines additional questions raised by the new findings, such as whether or not Strata Solar received special treatment from Gov. Cooper and his staff, and why Cooper took an active hand in the permit process for the pipeline when those matters are normally handled by a regulatory agency. Republican lawmakers have hired private investigators who are currently looking into Cooper’s handling of the permit process.
