40 Years of Failure Friday: Roy Cooper's Energy Policies Sent North Carolina Prices Soaring

As former Gov. Roy Cooper (D., N.C.) is campaigning for Senate on a promise to “make stuff cost less” for Americans, his own Democratic successor in North Carolina is noting that he made life more expensive in the state, bringing his previous actions as governor of North Carolina under renewed scrutiny.

North Carolina’s electricity prices rose faster than any other state in the Southeast between 2017 and 2024, according to a state task force report — a period spanning most of Cooper’s tenure as governor.

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But during Cooper’s tenure from 2017 to 2025, North Carolinians saw an increase in just about every industry. Housing under Cooper rose by 85 percent, and North Carolina became the most expensive state for healthcare. Grocery bills grew by $125 per month, and electricity costs only increased during Cooper’s administration.

Gov. Josh Stein (D., N.C.), the current Governor of North Carolina, recently admitted as much — causing Cooper political problems, with his fellow Democrat taking him to task for an affordability crisis that he oversaw.

In August 2025, Stein created the North Carolina Energy Policy Task Force. The group’s 2026 report, which Stein signed off on, noted energy prices rose nearly 30 percent between 2017 and 2024, — the largest price increase in the Southeast.

In the same time frame, North Carolina’s bordering states saw significantly less increase in energy prices. Virginia’s electricity prices rose 19 percent and Tennessee’s rose 16%, while South Carolinians saw only a 6 percent increase in average monthly electricity bills.

Stein blames “rising and volatile natural gas prices” for the increase in costs, but many believe that Cooper’s energy policies as governor are the real reason for the spike.

For example, Cooper praised the Biden-Harris administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, which caused record levels of inflation from 2021-2023, with inflation reaching 9.1 percent during Biden’s presidency. Meanwhile, Cooper declined to sign a permit for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which prevented access to a dependable energy supply and impeded on lower energy costs for the state. Instead, he pushed for Green New Deal policies, such as a 70 percent carbon emissions reduction by 2030, which resulted in increased energy costs.

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In 2019, Cooper released a “Clean Energy Plan” that promoted green energy sources while opposing both natural gas and nuclear power. These policies would have cost North Carolina households more than $400 annually.

Cooper has criticized Duke Energy’s rising costs, arguing that as costs rise in the state, the “last thing [North Carolinians] need is another Duke Energy rate hike.”

But it was North Carolina’s Utilities Commission — whose members were chosen by Cooper — that in 2023 approved multi-year rate hikes for Duke Energy through 2026, causing the increase in energy prices that Cooper is now complaining about.

And recent reports show that as Cooper steered the state away from natural gas and nuclear power, he moved toward solar energy policies that directly benefited his family.

During his time as governor, Cooper oversaw an agreement between Duke Energy and several solar companies, brokering a deal that prompted Duke Energy to purchase more solar power. One company involved in the deal — Strata Solar — eventually leased land from Cooper and his brother, who had inherited 40 acres prior to the deal.

The long-term lease reportedly brings in $1 million each year for the family, and although Cooper has said he does not directly manage the property anymore, the policies he enacted as governor made it possible for his family to profit off the deal.