Feb 9 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Mark Johnson The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue called for a halt to any future coal-fired power plants as part of an energy plan she released Friday, though there may be no new plants to block.

Her proposal comes less than two weeks after the state approved Duke Energy's plans for a new coal-fired boiler at its Cliffside plant, the first Duke will have built since the 1970s.

Perdue and State Treasurer Richard Moore, her opponent for the Democratic nomination for governor, had called for a delay in the Cliffside decision.

Perdue said Friday the plant should represent the "end of an era," and it may already.

Duke, based in Charlotte, has said it likely will not build any more coal-burning plants, and Raleigh-based Progress Energy imposed its own two-year moratorium on coal plants in May of last year.

"I don't think there's any expectation that there will be any more coal plants built in North Carolina," said Molly Diggins, director of the N.C. Chapter of the Sierra Club, which opposed the Cliffside plant expansion.

Perdue proposes tackling future energy needs, in part, by requiring that power companies supply half of future growth in electrical needs through energy efficiency instead of just generating more power.

"We need to press our utilities to be creative, to invest in efficiency, and to find practical cost-efficient ways to help businesses and consumers use less energy," Perdue said in a prepared statement.

Power companies, however, say efficiencies and alternative sources, such as wind and solar, won't meet short-term energy needs. Duke says it adds 40,000 to 60,000 new customers a year.

The governor's role in the energy business is considerable, hammering out legislation with the General Assembly and appointing all seven members of the N.C. Utilities Commission, which regulates power companies.

Among other components of Perdue's plan, she wants to:

--Offer $5 million in recurring, annual grants to cities that come up with the best emission reduction plans.

--Reach the energy-efficiency standards for government buildings set in legislation last year and then set further goals.

--Achieve a 20 percent reduction in gas consumption by state vehicles by 2010 through use of hybrid and other energy-efficient vehicles, a goal put into law three years ago but that remains behind schedule.

--Find innovative ways to encourage, promote and fund mass transit and regional rail systems to reduce gas consumption and emissions. Perdue's priority would be to identify local revenues for funding, but she would support "gap" funding in the early stages and would consider supplementing federal aid, a spokesman said.

Perdue also proposed a one-week sales tax holiday during which customers would not pay sales tax on appliances that are rated as water or energy savers, such as "Energy Star."