Duke Energy's legal bill from North Carolina for the a 5-month state investigation last year came to a cool $3.5 million.

The N.C. Utilities Commission released the bill total on Monday in response to a records request. The last month billed was for November, but Utilities Commission General Counsel Sam Watson there could be a final bill with miscellaneous expenses.

The state investigation ended last month when Charlotte-based Duke settled the matter with the Utilities Commission, agreeing to changes in its executive ranks, including the mandatory departure of CEO Jim Rogers by Dec. 31, 2013.

Under state law, utilities finance the operations of the N.C. Utilities Commission and are also required to pay the costs of investigations. The bill submitted to Duke Energy only represents the Utilities Commission's cost of the probe, not Duke's cost of hiring multiple law firms to defend itself.

Nuclear safety officials dinged Raleigh-based Progress Energy for a minor safety violation at its Brunswick nuclear plant near Wilmington.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said this morning that the plant's emergency diesel generators were not properly protected from possible flooding during a hurricane. The generators are needed as a backup source of electric power to operate pumps and other emergency equipment required to keep nuclear fuel from melting down and releasing radioactivity.

The generators were not properly protected because the Brunswick plant had not sealed off the fuel-oil tank room that stores the diesel to run the generators.

The agency said the oversight was of "low to moderate safety significance." It did not merit a fine, but the NRC will increase its oversight of the nuclear plant with an extra inspection.

Durham County Commissioner Joe Bowser said he will ask commissioners' Chairman Michael Page to drop an investigation of the Department of Social Services board.

The investigation, which Bowser had suggested in September, would cost too much, he said, and added, "I think what we have here is just a bunch of hot air."

Bowser, the commissioners' liaison to the DSS board, made his surprise announcement during this morning's DSS board meeting.

The commissioners undertook an investigation after allegations of misconduct by commissioners and DSS board members stemming from the firing of former DSS Director Gerri Robinson and her replacement by DSS board member Gail Perry.

The state attorney general's office turned down the county commissioners' request for an investigation, BOCC's and at least one retired judge has turned down the county commissioners' request to investigate.