Duke Energy’s CEO on Learning to Work with Green Activists

by James E. Rogers

James E. Rogers is the chairman, president, and CEO of Duke Energy.

The Idea

When James Rogers became CEO at then-ailing PSI (now Duke Energy), he was determined to listen to all its stakeholders. But environmentalists posed a particular challenge: The green movement had long viewed the energy industry with skepticism.

“How can you advocate for a low-carbon future when your company is among the largest emitters of carbon dioxide in the United States?”

I’m asked this question a lot. It reminds me of a time about two decades ago, when I was 42 and in my second year as a CEO, trying to lead a utility back from the brink of bankruptcy. The effects of acid rain from burning ...

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