January 1, BOMBSHELL: Energy Giant Admits They Don’t Think About What You Pay

Wyatt’s Take

• Major utility CEO openly admits he doesn’t consider American families’ finances when making billion-dollar energy decisions
• Company prioritizes nuclear expansion over affordability while working families struggle with skyrocketing bills
• Another example of corporate elites completely disconnected from kitchen-table reality in Middle America

A shocking admission from a major energy company executive has confirmed what millions of Americans already suspected: the people making decisions about your power bills don’t care about your ability to pay them.

During a recent discussion about Duke Energy’s massive nuclear power expansion plans, CEO Lynn Good made a statement that should outrage every working family in America.

“I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation,” Good reportedly said when asked about the impact of costly nuclear projects on consumer bills.

The comment reveals the stunning disconnect between corporate boardrooms and the real-world struggles of everyday Americans. While families across the heartland are making tough choices between heating their homes and putting food on the table, energy executives are green-lighting billion-dollar projects without a second thought about affordability.

Duke Energy serves millions of customers across multiple states, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. The company has been aggressively pushing forward with plans to expand nuclear generation capacity, a strategy that typically comes with massive upfront costs passed along to ratepayers.

The timing of Good’s comment couldn’t be worse for struggling Americans. Energy costs have surged in recent years, driven by a combination of regulatory burdens, infrastructure investments, and corporate priorities that put shareholders before customers. For families living paycheck to paycheck, even a modest increase in monthly utility bills can mean the difference between making ends meet and falling behind.

Nuclear power projects are notoriously expensive to build and can take decades to complete. While supporters argue they provide clean, reliable baseload power, the financial burden of construction often falls on consumers through rate increases approved by state regulators. Duke’s approach appears to prioritize long-term energy strategy over the immediate financial pain inflicted on ordinary Americans.

The casual dismissal of consumer concerns reflects a broader problem in American corporate culture. Too many executives have lost touch with the people who ultimately pay their salaries through monthly bills and purchased services. They operate in a world of quarterly earnings reports and investor presentations, insulated from the consequences of their decisions.

For Duke Energy customers, the CEO’s comments offer little comfort as they face the prospect of higher bills to fund nuclear expansion. The company’s “nukes first, bills later” approach prioritizes infrastructure goals over household budgets, leaving families to absorb the financial shock.

Energy policy should balance multiple priorities: reliability, environmental concerns, and yes, affordability for the people footing the bill. When corporate leaders openly admit they don’t consider Americans’ financial situations, it’s a clear signal that the balance has tipped too far away from working families.

State utility regulators, who typically approve rate increases, should take note of Duke’s cavalier attitude toward consumer costs. Their job is to protect ratepayers from exactly this kind of corporate indifference. If a CEO publicly states that customer finances aren’t part of the decision-making equation, regulators need to step in and recalibrate the priorities.

Wyatt Matters

When the people controlling your power bill admit they don’t think about whether you can afford it, something’s badly broken. Working Americans deserve energy companies that balance keeping the lights on with keeping costs reasonable. That’s not radical — it’s basic respect for the folks who pay the bills every month.