Moore County

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.

Attacks last month in Moore County, North Carolina, knocked out power to more than 45,000 customers for several days. Those attacks, and others in Washington, Oregon, South Carolina and Nevada, have underscored the vulnerability of the nation’s far-flung electrical grid, which security experts have long warned could be a target for domestic extremists.

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

Sandhills Pride is continuing its LGBTQ support groups in Moore County following recent protests at a local drag show.

“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.

The Dec. 3 shootings put Moore County in the dark for days. State Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore said on Tuesday that ways to better safeguard infrastructure for generating electricity, producing clean water and other services would soon get the attention of colleagues.

The shootings at a Moore County substation had cut power to 45,000 customers, as well as schools, businesses and a hospital.

As shootings at two electrical substations cut power to thousands of central North Carolina homes last weekend, they also sparked widespread speculation that the days-long blackout might be the latest of several attempts to shut down a local drag show meant to celebrate the LGBTQ community in rural Moore County.

The Moore County Sheriff's Office has applied for several warrants related to the attacks that cut power for most county residents.

Duke Energy completed repairs Wednesday on electric substation equipment damaged in shootings over the weekend in central North Carolina.