Two environmental groups are pushing to reverse a utilities commission ruling that would allow North Carolina based Duke Energy to burn trees to generate electricity. The Charlotte Observer reports the Southern Environmental Defense Center and the Environmental Defense Fund have filed an appeal to block the plan. The North Carolina Utilities Commission last month said Duke could use whole trees to generate electricity and that the use fell under the state’s renewable energy law. Duke Energy said the law allowed any type of wood to be burned, including whole trees chipped into fuel. Duke argued the previous wording of “wood waste” mentioned in the law would not be enough for its power plants. The utility commission agreed and said whole trees could be chopped up and mixed with coal could be used. A spokesperson for the Environmental Defense Fund says the commission’s ruling allows utilities to cut and burn the state’s forests with no questions asked. North Carolina utilities are required to produce 12.5 percent of their energy from renewable sources.