Progress CEO says states fall short on renewables

CHARLESTON, South Carolina, June 22 (Reuters) - Progress Energy Inc's (PGN.N) Chief Executive William Johnson said on Monday that it's unlikely any southeastern U.S. state can meet a goal of using renewable energy to supply 20 percent of its power supply by 2020.

Utilities and state regulators from Arkansas to Georgia are feeling pressured as Congress considers legislation to curb emissions of carbon dioxide -- a greenhouse gas blamed for global warming -- and to set a national standard requiring utilities to produce more power from renewable resources like wind and solar power.

"I'm not sure how we we'll meet a 20-percent mandate in any state in the Southeast," Johnson told a gathering of state utility regulators from 10 Southeastern states. (Reporting by Eileen O'Grady)