A disagreement over who should control settlement money from Volkswagen could cost North Carolinians $92 million. Volkswagen agreed to pay the state that money for selling cars that cheated on emissions tests, but both Governor Roy Cooper and the Republican-led legislature are claiming the right to dole out the funds.
Republicans have included language in the budgets for 2017 and 2018 to ensure their control of the money, and Governor Cooper sued the legislature, calling it a constitutional overreach. Cooper lost that suit in 2018, but he has since appealed the decision. Some pundits say this fight could invalidate the Volkswagen settlement agreement and cost the state the $92 million.
Host Frank Stasio talks to Elizabeth Ouzts, a reporter for Southeast Energy News, about the roots of this power struggle.
