Critics say it could do the exact opposite, potentially leaving North Carolinians paying billions of dollars for power plants that never actually get built. But those critics were out-voted Thursday.

Senate Bill 261, known as the Energy Security and Affordability Act, passed its second and third readings in the Senate Thursday and will head to the House for further discussion.

Duke Energy would shed its goal of a 70% carbon reduction by 2030 under a new bill filed in the North Carolina General Assembly by powerful state Senate leader Phil Berger. Why it matters: The proposal would roll back a portion of a major 2021 bill,