North Carolina · U.S. Senate · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Where do the candidates stand on energy and climate?
Roy CooperDemocrat
Michael WhatleyRepublican
Part of the full North Carolina U.S. Senate comparison · Last reviewed October 19, 2026
Energy & Climate
Each position is labeled by what it rests on: a campaign proposal, a public statement, a past action such as a vote or lawsuit, or an enacted policy. Where nothing is documented, the page says so.
Documented positions
Roy Cooper
Proposes making data centers pay their full power costs and banning utility shutoffs in extreme weather; signed a 2021 carbon-reduction law whose 2030 target was repealed in 2025.
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- Campaign proposalSept. 2026
Proposes making data centers pay the full cost of the power they use, encouraging large tech companies to build their own energy sources, banning utility disconnections during dangerous heat and cold, and modernizing the power grid. SourceLowering Energy & Utility Costs (opens in a new tab)Cooper for North Carolina · Sept. 2026 · Campaign
- Enacted policyOct. 2021
As governor, signed House Bill 951 in October 2021, which required the N.C. Utilities Commission to take steps toward a 70% cut in power-sector carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050; in July 2025 the General Assembly repealed the 2030 interim target (Senate Bill 266) over Gov. Josh Stein's veto, keeping the 2050 goal. 5 sourcesExecutive Order 80: 2022 Status Report (opens in a new tab)North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality · Feb. 2022 · GovernmentNorth Carolina's Progress on Clean Energy: Governor Cooper Celebrates Over 20,000 New Clean Energy Jobs and More Than $24 Billion in Industry Investments (opens in a new tab)Office of the Governor of North Carolina · Dec. 13, 2024 · GovernmentNCGA overrides vetoes of carbon bill, privacy act (opens in a new tab)Carolina Journal · July 29, 2025 · NewsSenate Bill 266, Ratified Bill (2025 Session) (opens in a new tab)North Carolina General Assembly · 2025 · Legislative recordGovernor Stein Vetoed North Carolina Senate Bill 266 Relating to Energy Policy. What Comes Next? (opens in a new tab)Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton · July 14, 2025 · Reference
- Campaign proposalSept. 2026
Proposes making data centers pay the full cost of the power they use, encouraging large tech companies to build their own energy sources, banning utility disconnections during dangerous heat and cold, and modernizing the power grid. SourceLowering Energy & Utility Costs (opens in a new tab)Cooper for North Carolina · Sept. 2026 · Campaign
- Enacted policyOct. 2021
As governor, signed House Bill 951 in October 2021, which required the N.C. Utilities Commission to take steps toward a 70% cut in power-sector carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050; in July 2025 the General Assembly repealed the 2030 interim target (Senate Bill 266) over Gov. Josh Stein's veto, keeping the 2050 goal. 5 sourcesExecutive Order 80: 2022 Status Report (opens in a new tab)North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality · Feb. 2022 · GovernmentNorth Carolina's Progress on Clean Energy: Governor Cooper Celebrates Over 20,000 New Clean Energy Jobs and More Than $24 Billion in Industry Investments (opens in a new tab)Office of the Governor of North Carolina · Dec. 13, 2024 · GovernmentNCGA overrides vetoes of carbon bill, privacy act (opens in a new tab)Carolina Journal · July 29, 2025 · NewsSenate Bill 266, Ratified Bill (2025 Session) (opens in a new tab)North Carolina General Assembly · 2025 · Legislative recordGovernor Stein Vetoed North Carolina Senate Bill 266 Relating to Energy Policy. What Comes Next? (opens in a new tab)Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton · July 14, 2025 · Reference
Michael Whatley
His campaign website calls for "unleashing American energy" to achieve energy independence; as an energy-industry lobbyist, he advocated expanded offshore drilling, including off North Carolina.
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- Public statement
His campaign website says America's economic strength depends on "reliable, affordable energy" and calls for "unleashing American energy" to "achieve energy independence." SourceIssues – Michael Whatley for Senate (opens in a new tab)Whatley for Senate · Campaign
- Public statement2025
Said in a 2025 Spectrum News interview that he has a career in which he fought for lower energy prices for consumers, with support from farm, trucking, shipping, airline and manufacturing groups. SourceRepublican's oil ties a focus in North Carolina Senate race (opens in a new tab)E&E News by POLITICO · Sept. 12, 2025 · News
- Past action2010
As an energy-industry lobbyist, urged the Interior Department in 2010, through the HBW-managed Southeast Energy Alliance, to open the mid-Atlantic to offshore drilling, and supported President Trump's 2018 proposal to open nearly all U.S. coastal areas to drilling, including near North Carolina; in 2025 his campaign did not respond when asked whether he still supports his previous positions on oil and gas. SourceRepublican's oil ties a focus in North Carolina Senate race (opens in a new tab)E&E News by POLITICO · Sept. 12, 2025 · News
- Public statement
His campaign website says America's economic strength depends on "reliable, affordable energy" and calls for "unleashing American energy" to "achieve energy independence." SourceIssues – Michael Whatley for Senate (opens in a new tab)Whatley for Senate · Campaign
- Public statement2025
Said in a 2025 Spectrum News interview that he has a career in which he fought for lower energy prices for consumers, with support from farm, trucking, shipping, airline and manufacturing groups. SourceRepublican's oil ties a focus in North Carolina Senate race (opens in a new tab)E&E News by POLITICO · Sept. 12, 2025 · News
- Past action2010
As an energy-industry lobbyist, urged the Interior Department in 2010, through the HBW-managed Southeast Energy Alliance, to open the mid-Atlantic to offshore drilling, and supported President Trump's 2018 proposal to open nearly all U.S. coastal areas to drilling, including near North Carolina; in 2025 his campaign did not respond when asked whether he still supports his previous positions on oil and gas. SourceRepublican's oil ties a focus in North Carolina Senate race (opens in a new tab)E&E News by POLITICO · Sept. 12, 2025 · News
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