This post is part of a series examining where 2024 candidates running for public offices in the Southeast stand on key energy and climate issues. Note: The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy does not support or oppose candidates or political parties. Links to reports, candidate websites, and outside sources are provided as citizen education tools.

In this blog post, we examine the policies and positions of Mark Robinson, Republican Party candidate running for Governor of North Carolina. Also in this series, we profile Democratic candidate Josh Stein. Election Day is November 5, 2024.

Mark Robinson currently serves as North Carolina’s Lieutenant Governor after he was elected statewide in 2020. Previously, he worked for businesses manufacturing furniture and served in the U.S. Army Reserves. Robinson grew up in Greensboro, graduated from Grimsley High School, and earned a degree from UNC Greensboro.

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

Mark Robinson opposes Governor Cooper’s goals for developing offshore wind energy. Robinson has posted on social media apparently in opposition to the Inflation Reduction Act, one the most significant national policies to drive adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Climate Change

Mark Robinson gave multiple speeches (i.e. this one and this one) last year mocking concerns about climate change, in which he called climate science, “lies,” “junk science,” and “pseudoscience,” and referred to science educators as “liars.”

Robinson said in a speech last year: ““I have tried over and over again to explain to these people about climate change. It happens four times a year. Right now, it is summer. Soon it will be fall. Then it will be winter. After that, it will be spring. And then the cycle starts over again. That’s the only climate change that I believe in.”

As a candidate in the race for Lieutenant Governor in 2020, Robinson told a forum the following about his priorities on energy if elected: “If we’re going to have success in energy and industry in this state and in this country, what we’re going to have to do is protect ourselves against the globalist climate change cabal. We have got to keep them out of this state. We can do everything that we said on this stage tonight about energy that we want to but if we have these globalist climate change people stifling us at every turn, and stopping industry and stopping our attempts to build our energy infrastructure, it’s not going to work. So as Lieutenant Governor, that would be one of the things I would focus on most when it comes to energy: is keeping the climate change cabal out of this state, and if they are in this state, keeping them in chains.”

Mark Robinson has proposed eliminating science education from elementary schools.

Electric Transportation

Mark Robinson talked about electric vehicles in a speech last year, in which he said: “There’s people running around here talking about electric cars and ‘end oil’ and all of this foolishness.”

Energy Equity and Energy Burden

As Lieutenant Governor, Mark Robinson has promoted increased fossil fuel production as a path to economic benefits and affordable energy, and has expressed concern about offshore wind energy being too expensive for energy customers. 

High-Risk Energy: Coal, Nuclear, Oil, Gas

Mark Robinson supports expanding extraction and use of fossil fuels. In speeches last year, Robinson characterized increased oil drilling as a divine mandate, and said about domestic oil reserves, “We need to start getting that oil out of the ground right now. Now! Not in five years, not in ten years, not in two years.”

As Lieutenant Governor, Mark Robinson supports the Mountain Valley Southgate gas pipeline project, and sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission expressing his support for the project.

Robinson posted on social media in opposition to President Biden’s pausing of permitting new liquified natural gas export terminals.

Voter Information

Election Day is November 5. Here are important dates and deadlines to consider, from the North Carolina State Board of Elections:

• Sept. 6, 2024: County boards of elections begin mailing absentee ballots to eligible voters who submitted an absentee ballot request form.
• Oct. 11, 2024: Voter registration deadline (5 p.m.).*
• Oct. 17, 2024: In-person early voting begins; same-day registration available.
• Oct. 29, 2024: Absentee ballot request deadline (5 p.m.).*
• Nov. 2, 2024: In-person early voting ends (3 p.m.).
• Nov. 5, 2024: General Election Day.
• Nov. 5, 2024: Absentee ballot return deadline (7:30 p.m.).*

*Voter registration and absentee voting deadlines are different for military and overseas citizen voters.

Find additional important election information here.

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Candidate Mark Robinson On Climate & Energy