Duke Energy CEO: Obama must stand up on energy bill

With hope fading for meaningful energy legislation in this year’s Congress, Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers is back in Washington, D.C., pushing strongly for legislation he can support — and strongly against legislation he won’t.

And he says it is time for President Obama to stand up, as he did on health care, and push action by outlining what his administration wants in the legislation.

"I think it's necessary that they stand up with specific proposals and drive the process in the Senate," Rogers said in a phone interview Thursday.

Rogers had little to say about Obama’s speech on energy last week. That was a disappointment to many in the environmental community and to supporters of caps on carbon emissions.

Obama said nothing about carbon in calling for energy legislation. Rogers said he was more encouraged by an appearance by White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. Emmanuel said energy legislation would have to deal with carbon, though he floated the idea already bubbling around Washington that a first step would be to set limits on emissions in the power industry.

Read more in the Triangle Business Journal.