Michael Whatley accepted thousands from Duke Energy’s PAC as it seeks to raise rates on North Carolina households.

The claim contains two distinct propositions:

1. Duke Energy is seeking higher rates from North Carolina households. This is supported by the available reporting. Energy and Policy Institute, NC Voices, and other sources describe Duke’s requests for increased residential rates. Later reporting from WSPA says regulators were reviewing a settlement involving a proposed 9.3% increase for Duke Energy Progress residential customers, while Duke had initially sought a larger increase. This indicates that the rate increase was still subject to regulatory review as of the latest provided reports, rather than being a finalized statewide rate hike.

2. Michael Whatley accepted thousands from Duke Energy’s PAC. The provided sources do not directly verify this specific allegation. They describe Whatley as a former Duke Energy lobbyist, a shareholder or investor, and someone connected to organizations that represented Duke. The North Carolina Democratic Party sources also allege that his family holds substantial Duke shares and that he profited from or supported policies associated with the company. However, those materials do not provide a campaign-finance record, dollar amount, date, or other primary evidence showing that Whatley personally received thousands of dollars from Duke Energy’s political-action committee.

The distinction matters because money paid to a lobbying firm, compensation for lobbying work, stock ownership, and campaign contributions from a corporate PAC are different types of financial relationships. The sources support the existence of some professional and financial ties, but they do not demonstrate the specific PAC-payment claim. The available evidence therefore cannot confirm the statement as written.