Avram Friedman

The amazing and legendary Avram Friedman filed to run against Phil Haire in the 119th district - right next door to the ginormous Cliffside Power Plant in Rutherford County. Friedman has been creating, advocating, marketing, and innovating alternative energies for decades. Founder of the Canary Coalition, Friedman is perhaps the most environmentally progressive candidate ever to run for statehouse. From the press release:

"His opponent is incumbent Phil Haire who supports Duke Energy's decision to build Cliffside Unit 6, an 800 megawatt coalburning power plant in Rutherford County, a short distance from his district. Friedman opposes the plant as an unnecessary danger to public health and the environment.

Haire also voted for Senate Bill 3 in the 2007 legislative session, which Friedman promises to make into a campaign issue. This bill lifted a 25-year ban that prohibited the practice of charging electric ratepayers for construction-work-in-progress on new polluting coal and nuclear power plants.

In contrast to Haire, Friedman also promises to advocate strongly for comprehensive public transportation in North Carolina, major wind and solar energy development, utility rate-restructing to reward conservation and efficiency efforts, and a moratorium on the construction of new coal and nuclear power plants."