Carrboro town officials filed a lawsuit against Charlotte-based Duke Energy Wednesday morning, accusing the company — one of the country's largest operators of coal and natural gas power plants — of leading a "nationwide climate deception scheme" that has worsened the climate crisis and cost the town millions.

The North Carolina town alleges that Duke executives knew greenhouse gases were harmful as early as 1968 and continued to promote their use.

In October, Oregon’s Multnomah county, which includes Portland, became the first municipality to sue a utility over climate deception when it added the regional gas provider NW Natural to its 2023 lawsuit against fossil fuel corporations for fueling a fatal 2021 heat dome.