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Economic Development

House considering data-center restrictions

House Republican have proposed a series of restrictions on data-center development, but are coupling them a restriction on the retirement of existing baseload power plants. The proposal’s embedded in a proposed revision of Senate Bill 730 that cleared the House’s Energy and Public Utilities committee on Wednesday. In all, the...

By Ray Gronberg

May 22, 2026

Stein hires a housing adviser

Gov. Josh Stein has hired former Urban Institute Vice President Janneke Ratcliffe to serve as his senior adviser for housing policy. Ratcliffe will serve as Stein’s point person for an effort to come up with and implement a statewide housing strategy. An executive order rolled out on Tuesday instructs state...

By Ray Gronberg

May 22, 2026

“WWAD” — the power of the Retail Merchants

Last week’s piece on the North Carolina lobbyists who’ve registered the largest number of clients brought forth an interesting comment from one of them who’s also a loyal Tribune reader. This basically notes that while our method identifies quite a few well-known heavy hitters, it shortchanges the lobbyists who basically...

By Ray Gronberg

May 22, 2026

Backtracking on Brunswick

It’s looking like legislators are going to walk back a 2019 decision that allowed the Brunswick County Commissioners to farm out most all land-use decisions to appointed boards. Pending bills in both chambers say that going forward, the final decision in all development approvals will rest with the commissioners. House...

By Ray Gronberg

May 22, 2026

NextEra buying Dominion Energy for $66.8B in stock

Florida-based NextEra Energy is buying Virginia’s Dominion Energy in an all-stock deal worth about $66.8 billion at current market prices. The acquisition will create the single largest regulated electric utility in the world, with roots in four of the country’s fastest-growing states, North Carolina among them. Dominion’s service area includes...

By Ray Gronberg

May 22, 2026

Commerce has some questions for employers

Gov. Josh Stein’s administration wants to find 50,000 employers willing to work with the state’s job-training programs. The state Commerce Department has launched a website that allows employers to voice interest in participating — and to volunteer information about what challenges they face in their business, among other things. The...

By Ray Gronberg

May 18, 2026

Farm advocates seek limits on ag-land conversions

Legislators are looking at a couple bills that would make it harder to convert farmland into other uses. The current draft of the 2025 Farm Act includes a provision that would allow local governments to reject special-use permits for non-residential development they think will “have a negative impact on agricultural...

By Ray Gronberg

May 18, 2026

The view of I-77 from Raleigh

Senate leader Phil Berger is less than impressed by the Charlotte City Council’s reversal of its support for adding toll lanes to Interstate 77 from downtown to the South Carolina border. The council’s 6-5 vote earlier this week could — if it holds up — set the stage for the...

By Ray Gronberg

May 14, 2026

Bill targeting Chinese land buys is on the move

House and Senate members are coming together on a bill that would put much of North Carolina off-limits for purchase by some foreign-owned companies. Senate Bill 394 cleared the House’s Judiciary 2 committee on Tuesday, just a couple hours after Senate Judiciary discussed a parallel bill. It’s now on its...

By Ray Gronberg

May 13, 2026

Carolinas sitting on a pile of lithium?

There could be enough lithium ore under the Carolinas and the rest of the U.S. East Coast to supply U.S. needs for 328 years at current rates, U.S. Geological Survey scientists estimate. That’d be enough to kit out 2.9 million new electric vehicles with batteries, they say in a new...

By Ray Gronberg

May 12, 2026

Clean-energy groups seek reversal of Utilities Commission ruling

Solar-power advocates want the N.C. Utilities Commission to reverse an order from Chairman Bill Brawley that directed Duke Energy to “defer” its 2026 solar procurement. The Carolinas Clean Energy Business Association argues Brawley exceeded his authority by acting without giving public notice that he was considering the move. State law...

By Ray Gronberg

May 12, 2026

WARN attacks Stein

Gov. Josh Stein attempted veto last year of Senate Bill 266 and its relaxation of the state’s carbon-reduction targets gets him no credit with one of North Carolina’s more vocal environmental groups. Stein is “complicit in Duke Energy’s crimes,” N.C. WARN leader Jim Warren said on Tuesday as he and...

By Ray Gronberg

May 12, 2026

“Free Our Spirits”: Group calls for ABC system change

North Carolina’s liquor-control laws are antiquated and need a major overhaul, to allow more retailers to join local ABC stores in selling gin, rum, bourbon and other distilled beverages, the backers of a new PR drive argue. “Break up the monopoly,” the backers of the “Free Our Spirits” campaign say....

By Ray Gronberg

May 12, 2026

Data-center tax breaks inch closer to chopping block

It’s looking increasingly possible state officials will reel in at least some of tax breaks and other incentives they’ve made available to would-be data-center builders. House Speaker Destin Hall says his chamber “is going to take some action on that” during this year’s session. Echoing Gov. Josh Stein, Hall said...

By Ray Gronberg

May 12, 2026

Lumbee clarify casino-vote eligibility

Lumbee tribe leaders say their initial announcement about the upcoming membership vote on casinos was “confusing” and have clarified it make it clear enrolled members living outside the tribal territory can participate. Voting rights in the June 23 balloting will include people “who live outside the tribal territory [that] make...

By Ray Gronberg

May 12, 2026