RALEIGH (AP) ó North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue’s administration lost a battle in its struggle to win a federal license to operate a series of dams Alcoa Inc. controlled for decades.
The state House voted 66-39 on Thursday to reject creating a state corporation that would acquire and control the four dams on the Yadkin River.
Perdue’s administration is fighting Alcoa’s effort to renew a federal license it held since 1958 to operate the dams, which powered an aluminum plant that once employed hundreds. The plant is closed, but Alcoa earns millions of dollars selling the electricity.
Alcoa’s opponents say another big issue is who will control the water supplying 2 million residents for decades.