Duke Energy executives met with staff of...

Duke Energy executives met with staff of Gov. Gray Davis and urged faster permitting of electricity-generating plants in California to help ease the electricity shortfall in the state. Duke Energy North America, a Duke Energy Corp. subsidiary that operates four power plants in California, is about to begin construction of a 1,000-megawatt plant in Monterey County and, with a streamlined permit process, could add another 2,000 megawatts by summer of 2002, the company said. “California has the single most onerous permitting environment seen in North America,” said Jim Donnell, chief executive of Duke Energy North America, adding that the company wants to remove “inefficiencies” in the process rather than loosen environmental regulations.