Carolina Weather Group

Executive orders aimed at driving down greenhouse-gas emissions are still not enough to reach North Carolina's 50% reduction goal by 2030, a report by the Environmental Defense Fund found. The report showed under current state policies, North Carolina is on track to shrink emissions by 28% to 38%, far below its target. Michelle Allen, project manager of North Carolina political affairs for the Environmental Defense Fund, said there are ways to get back on track, including aggressively building greener infrastructure for electric power and public transportation. "The electric power and the transportation sectors account for nearly 70% of the state's overall climate solutions," Allen pointed out. "Those are going to be the top two, really most critical, sectors to focus on." The governor's executive orders require reducing energy consumption in state-owned buildings and increasing the number of zero-emission vehicles on the roads. Allen explained North Carolina's utility commission, which is responsible fo