McCrory asked to refrain from NC Utilities Commission appointments

The heads of AARP North Carolina and an environmental watchdog group on Friday asked Gov.-elect Pat McCrory to recuse himself from making any appointments to the state Utilities Commission because of his past employment with Duke Energy.

Doug Dickerson, state director of AARP North Carolina, and Jim Warren, executive director of the North Carolina Waste Awareness & Reduction Network, made their request in a formal letter to McCrory that they also distributed to the media. In the letter, the men said the commission appointments are important to the state’s economic and environmental future.

They called on McCrory, who takes office Saturday, to establish a fair and transparent process for choosing candidates.

“After being employed at Duke Energy for 28 years, you have an actual conflict of interest,” the letter stated.