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Exciting updates in the energy democracy space
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Our Special Updates:
Lots of amazing progress has been blossoming in the energy democracy space. Here are two exciting updates directly from our collaborative work:
1) The Energy Democracy Project is launching the REFOCUS campaign to unify energy democracy advocates across the country in the importance of the decentralized energy model (resilient, community-based, community empowering energy) and race in the move towards energy democracy and amplify the centralized energy struggle in Puerto Rico as a prime example of ongoing colonialism that blocks the development of local, community-controlled, and decentralized clean energy.
More updates coming. In the meantime, please sign AND SHARE this letter no later than Tuesday, June 21, to support the comments from civil society in Puerto Rico to ensure the transition to 100% renewable energy in Puerto Rico means a more democratized energy system that can address community needs for safe, reliable, resilient, sustainable, and equitable energy. This is the core of our REFOCUS campaign and the core of energy democracy struggle throughout the country.
2) Do you know any Awesome Fighters of Utility Shutoffs and Debt? In the midst of the pandemic, people across the country are facing shutoffs of life-giving electricity, while utilities are raising rates and making record profits. To fight back, a broad coalition of groups organized by The Energy Democracy Project is looking to interview or connect with people on the frontlines of the fight to stop utility shutoff and debt. We are collecting nominations for people to interview about their work.
See below for a long list of celebratory updates and resources from Energy Democracy Project Collaborators...
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Updates from Project Collaborators:
 Celebratory News from Project Collaborators!
- Huge Energy Democracy Win in Florida 🎉: In April, a huge energy democracy win was made in Florida when Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed the anti-solar bill, HB 741, that would have ended net metering in Florida. Solar United Neighbors and many other partners have been working diligently in fighting this bill since its introduction late last year. Learn More
- Gulf Gathering for Climate Justice and Joy: On June 4th residents from across the Gulf South will converged on Baton Rouge, Louisiana for the Gulf Gathering for Climate Justice and Joy. Over a thousand Texans, Louisianans, Mississippians, Floridians, and Alabamans came together to celebrate the hopeful futures that are still possible for the places we call home and to develop strategies to realize them. Learn More
- A Win on Utility Accountaibility in Washington DC: Attorney General Karl A. Racine takes enforcement action against Pepco for systemically mishandling DC solar energy programs & overcharging thousands of DC households on their electric bills. Learn More
- This year is Soulardarity’s 10 year anniversary!! They are preparing to install 10+ solar power streetlights with Internet connection. Michgan Power company DTE took streetlights out of Highland Park 11 years ago, so they didn’t have any residential streetlights and they're currently doing an assessment for site locations to install these streetlights.
- Wisconsin Green Muslims is one of the finalists for the American Climate Leadership Awards 2022.
- Wisconsin’s Governor (Tony Evers) Executive Order #161: Established the first Wisconsin State Office of Environmental Justice at an event at the Indian Community School, an Indigenous elementary school (April 22, 2022), Franklin, WI. Wisconsin Green Muslims has been organizing for this since 2018.
- POWER Interfaith hosted a successful People's Energy Summit in P. It was a full weekend May 20-22 with learning and connecting with each other to build a movement for the People's Energy Plan. It included a skit about the Electric Grid, workshop on Energy Democracy using the Energy Democracy Survey, reimagining an energy system that works for the people, and how to tell our stories to take action!
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 Resources for Advancing Energy Democracy
- 🎥 Just Solutions: Energy Democracy on how democratizing energy is an essential aspect of the Just Transition away from fossil fuels (Free Speech TV, May 2022)
- 🎥 The Bribery Bunch: A parody video recapping the activities stemming from the $61 million bribery and racketeering scandal surrounding House Bill 6 in Ohio (Ohio Citizen Action, Jun 2022)
- 📖 The Devastating Costs of Puerto Rico’s Solar “Farms” (NACLA, Feb 2022)
- 📖 The People's Justice40+ Community Benefit Playbook: A guide to Capturing Federal Infrastructure Investments (Emerald Cities Collaborative, Mar 2022)
- 📖 Stakeholder Recommendations for Reducing Energy Insecurity in the Southeast United States Report addresses energy insecurity issue while also taking into consideration that energy insecurity stems from many factors (Duke University, May 2022)
- 📖 Communities Seek To Reclaim Power With Energy Democracy Tools (the Equity Fund, May 2022)
- 📖 Report outlining the 8 steps that TVA – our country’s public power provider - should take to address the climate emergency and advance energy justice in the Valley (Center for Biological Diversity, Jun 2022)
- 🎧 Despite Promising Policies, Advocates Are Still Fighting for Community Power with Crystal Huang, a co-founder and worker owner of the People Power Solar Cooperative and Al Weinrub, the coordinator of the Local Clean Energy Alliance (Episode 153 of Local Energy Rules, Apr 2022)
- 🎧 The Movement to Take Back Control From Monopoly Electric Utilities - The conversations center around how communities have challenged monopoly power using many tactics, including a ballot initiative, antitrust litigation, and grassroots organizing (Episode 154 of Local Energy Rules, Apr 2022)
- 🎧 A People’s Playbook on Advancing Energy Justice, Despite Utility Misdirection with Yesenia Rivera, Director of Energy Equity and Inclusion at Solar United Neighbors (Episode 156 of Local Energy Rules, Apr 2022)
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 Job Opportunities in Energy Democracy!
- Technical Assistance Advisors (remote): People's Solar Energy Fund is looking to build a small, talented team to provide creative, thorough, and strategic technical assistance in areas they don't currently possess to help their members build capacity and develop community owned solar projects that are poised for financing.
- Membership & Partnerships Manager (remote): People's Solar Energy Fund is looking for candidates who can well-manage and deeply engage thir current members, and to grow and recruit new groups interested in developing community-owned solar, as well as partnerships with actors (funders, social justice groups, solar developers, universities, etc.) in select strategic growth regions.
- Manager of Policy & Community Engagement (remote - San Francisco Bay Area, CA): Emerald Cities Collaborative is seeking applicants who can support the development of local and state policies that put low-income, Black, Indigenous and communities of color at the front of the transition to a clean energy economy.
- Program Coordinator (San Francisco Bay Area, CA): Emerald Cities Collaborative is seeking candidates who can ensure that historically underrepresented groups are full participants in the emerging green economy. The candidate will help ensure that local infrastructure investments lead to job quality jobs and career access, ensuring strong labor and community standards in our local markets.
- Solar United Neighbors is actively recruiting for two positions: Director of Energy Equity and Inclusion and Digital Director, and we would appreciate your sharing with your networks on social and elsewhere.
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What is the Energy Democracy Project?
Since the Energy Democracy National Tour in 2018, almost 40 energy democracy practitioners have been collaborating to build shared resources and strategies to democratize energy.
This decentralized group of collaborators work translocally to build community ownership and control of clean energy resources and to promote racial and economic equity as a cornerstone of the clean energy transition. We are not a typical coalition/alliance/network. We are the Energy Democracy Project.
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Get involved in the movement to democratize energy, learn more about the work following the Strategic Convening by visiting EnergyDemocracy.us or emailing [email protected]
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