Josh Stein Is A Climate Champion Who Will Protect Our Progress 

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein is a climate champion for North Carolinians. In his campaign for Governor, Stein has proposed a plan that commits to putting North Carolina on a path toward carbon neutrality by 2050. Stein has also taken action to address the most pressing aspects of the climate crisis, such as sea level rise and flooding, hurricanes and tropical storms, and air and water pollution.  This includes providing environmental grants to protect homes in eastern North Carolina from damage associated with flooding and erosion, as well as taking on corporate polluters for harming the state’s water. Stein will also hold Big Oil accountable – he has investigated and won lawsuits against price gouging in North Carolina. Federal legislation lauded by Stein is turbocharging the state’s clean energy economy and Stein will ensure these gains aren’t just kept, but built upon. 

In stark contrast, Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson has made outright climate denial a centerpiece of his campaign for Governor. Robinson has called climate change a hoax based on “junk science,” said he’d work to keep science out of elementary school programs, and called educators who taught climate change “liars.” He also promised to “keep the climate change cabal out of this state” and “in chains.” Given his climate denial, it’s no surprise Robinson has no plans to address climate change. Instead, he claims that not taking advantage of dirty fossil fuel development is an affront to God and has called for immediate oil and gas drilling, while also opposing landmark legislation that has led to over $19 billion in investment and has helped create 11,850 new clean energy jobs in the Tar Heel State. It’s clear that Robinson would be a threat to North Carolina’s climate and clean energy economy if elected. 

Mark Robinson’s dangerous climate views are out of touch with North Carolinians. 74% of North Carolina voters say it is important for the state to increase its use of clean and renewable energy sources, while Robinson has opposed clean energy by calling it “unreliable” and “socially irresponsible.” In North Carolina, the impacts of climate change will mean increased sea level rise and eroding beaches, more unpleasantly hot days with the increased risk of heat stroke, and reduced crop yields. The state’s agriculture, its economy, and people’s health will all be hurt: 

• In the past decade, North Carolina has experienced 59 billion-dollar climate-related disasters that caused $664 billion in damages and killed 1,329 people. 
• Climate change has caused North Carolina to see an increase in temperatures and extreme heat events, putting people’s lives at risk. In 2023, North Carolina recorded 3,925 emergency department visits for heat-related illnesses. Endangering the more than 300,000 North Carolinians who are especially vulnerable to extreme heat.  
• Climate change has caused an increase in sea level rise and flooding events in North Carolina. In the next decade, there’s a 54% chance that flood waters could rise 2 feet above high tide in the Wilmington area. By 2100, 100,000 homes in North Carolina, estimated to be worth $28.5 billion, will face flooding. Those homes at risk currently contribute around $187 million in annual property tax revenue. 
• The increasing frequency and intensity of precipitation and extreme weather events, specifically hurricanes, have caused extensive and widespread flooding along the coast and in the southeastern region.
• In eastern North Carolina, the commercial hog industry has been disproportionately polluting the air and water of low-income communities and communities of color for decades. Industrial hog farms threaten the health of North Carolinians by routinely emitting air pollutants such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia and by polluting groundwater. Climate change exacerbates flooding events, which pose a serious hazard for North Carolinians as hog farm waste lagoons overflow. 
• At least 72 structural coal ash fill sites in North Carolina pose a threat to local air, ground, and water quality and present health risks to local communities.    

Advancing Climate Action

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As of June 2024, North Carolina has received over $9.9 billion in funding from the Biden-Harris administration’s clean energy plan – that’s money going to communities all across the state to promote climate resiliency, reduce pollution, and advance climate-smart agriculture. Attorney General Josh Stein understands the gravity of the climate crisis and has committed to putting North Carolina on a path toward carbon neutrality by 2050. Lieutenant Governor Robinson, a proud climate denier who vowed to keep science out of elementary school programs, has no plans to protect North Carolinians’ health, safety, or economy from the impact of climate change.

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• Stein has said that “we’re living in a global climate emergency” and has called for “swift action to protect our planet for our kids and future generations.” 
• In his 2024 campaign for Governor, Stein has committed to putting North Carolina on a path toward carbon neutrality by 2050. 

• Robinson is a climate denier who called climate change a hoax based on “junk science.” 
• Robinson vowed to keep science out of elementary school programs and called educators who taught students about climate change “liars.” 
• Robinson promised to “keep the climate change cabal out of this state” and “in chains.”
• Robinson bizarrely argued global temperature shifts couldn’t be caused by fossil fuels because dinosaurs didn’t have airplanes or SUVs.

Expanding The Clean Energy Economy

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While Josh Stein has fought for North Carolina’s clean energy future, Mark Robinson wants to undermine it. He opposes the clean energy plan, which has already spurred $19 billion in investment and helped create 11,850 new clean energy jobs in the Tarheel State. 

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• Stein lauded the clean energy plan’s investments in our clean energy economy, which have already spurred $19 billion in investment and helped create 11,850 new clean energy jobs in the Tar Heel State. 
• Stein said he will continue to lead the transition to a clean energy economy that creates good-paying jobs and keeps our communities healthy and safe.”
• Stein fought to hasten coal plant retirement while prioritizing renewable energy. 
• Stein joined North Carolina residents in a state Supreme Court case to ensure that homeowners associations cannot unreasonably prohibit residents from using residential solar.
• Stein advocated for policies promoting solar by filing comments with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

• Robinson opposed efforts to develop offshore wind energy, calling them “unreliable, outrageously expensive, environmentally suspect, and socially irresponsible.” 
• Robinson called offshore wind turbines “monstrous and toxic coastal eyesores.” 
• Robinson opposed the clean energy plan and said it cost North Carolina families their jobs. 

Hurricanes And Tropical Storms

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Climate change has made hurricanes more frequent, intense, and dangerous in North Carolina. While Attorney General Josh Stein has committed to preparing North Carolina for the impacts of climate change and natural disasters, Lieutenant Governor Robinson has not provided any plan for addressing hurricanes and tropical storms in North Carolina. 

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• Stein has committed to investing in resilient infrastructure to prepare North Carolina for the impacts of climate change and natural disasters. 
• Stein protected North Carolinians from scammers and price gougers who take advantage of natural disasters and hurricanes by filing – and winning – lawsuits against them. 
• Robinson has not provided any plan for addressing hurricanes and tropical storms in North Carolina. 

Air Pollution

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While Attorney General Josh Stein sued the Trump Administration for replacing clean energy protections with a bill that allows more pollution, Lieutenant Governor Robinson has not only sought to keep North Carolina reliant on dirty fossil fuels but also failed to provide any plan for addressing air pollution in North Carolina. 

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• In 2021, Stein joined a coalition of 23 Attorneys General in suing the Trump Administration for repealing and replacing the Clean Power Plan, allowing more pollution from power plants.
• In his 2024 campaign for Governor, Stein promised to fight against industrial polluters to protect our clean air and water.
• Stein filed a motion to defend vehicle pollution standards, saying the EPA was taking “responsible, necessary steps to protect the air we breathe and to address climate change, and I support these efforts.”
• When Trump pulled out of the international Paris climate agreement, Stein affirmed that he would continue to uphold “ the North Carolina constitution and its declaration to control and limit pollution of our air and water.” 
• Not only has Robinson sought to keep North Carolina reliant on dirty fossil fuels, but he has also failed to provide any plan for addressing air pollution in North Carolina. 

Water Pollution

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In North Carolina, hog farms and the fossil fuel industries have polluted the water in low-income communities and communities of color, putting people’s health and lives at risk. While Attorney General Stein has a proven track record taking on polluters by successfully suing corporations responsible for dumping cancer-causing chemicals into the Cape River, Lieutenant Governor Robinson has provided no plan to address water pollution in North Carolina.

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• In 2020, when research found cancer-causing chemicals being dumped into the Cape Fear River, Stein successfully sued the corporations for irresponsible and willful contamination of 320,000+ residents’ drinking water.
• In 2021, Stein won a lawsuit against Duke Energy for spilling millions of tons of coal ash into the Dan River, ultimately saving energy customers over $1.1 billion dollars.
• Robinson has not provided a plan to address water pollution in North Carolina. 

Holding Big Oil Accountable

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Attorney General Josh Stein has a proven record of holding Big Oil accountable by investigating and winning lawsuits against price gouging. Lieutenant Governor Robinson is firmly on the side of Big Oil. Robinson has advocated for continued fossil fuel development, calling for the construction of natural gas pipelines, saying they were “imperative for grid reliability and security.” He even went as far as to say that failure to take advantage of oil resources was an affront to God. 

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• Stein investigated gas stations for taking advantage of North Carolinians by forcing them to pay exorbitant prices during a state of emergency, ultimately filing and winning three lawsuits for price gouging. 
• Stein assembled a coalition of Attorneys General from 11 coastal states calling for the U.S. Interior Department to cancel the Trump administration’s plan to expand offshore drilling.
• In 2020, Stein filed a lawsuit to block offshore drilling off the North Carolina coast.

• Robinson has advocated for the continued development of fossil fuels and said that failure to take advantage of “all this fuel under our feet” was an affront to God. 
• Robinson called for “getting that oil out of the ground right now.”
• Robinson has called for the construction of natural gas pipelines, saying they were “imperative for grid reliability and security.” 

Sea Level Rise And Flooding

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Due to climate change, North Carolina’s coast is seeing an increase in sea level rise and flooding. While Attorney General Josh Stein has advocated for wetland conservation to help mitigate flood risk and awarded grants to protect homes in eastern North Carolina from damage associated with flooding and erosion, Lieutenant Governor Robinson has not provided any plan for addressing sea level rise and flooding in North Carolina. 

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• Stein has advocated for wetland conservation to help mitigate flood risk.
• In 2023, Stein’s office awarded environmental grants to protect homes in eastern North Carolina from damage associated with flooding and erosion. 
• Robinson has not provided any plan for addressing sea level rise and flooding in North Carolina.