Duke Energy would no longer have to comply with a carbon reduction goal the legislature instituted just four years ago, under a new bill filed Monday. The proposal, Senate Bill 261, is sponsored by top-ranking Republican Senate leaders — including Sen.

State Sen. Paul Newton introduced Senate Bill 261 on Tuesday with the gusto of a car salesman: “I’m here to offer you an opportunity to save North Carolina billions of dollars,” the Cabarrus County Republican said as he convened a meeting of the Senate Agriculture,

Republican senators introduced a bill entitled “Energy Security and Affordability Act,” SB 261, which would repeal state requirements for Duke Energy to meet carbon reduction by 2030.