Four states lead the country in renewable energy policies: California, Massachusetts, New York, and Illinois. Created by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), the 2022 edition of the Community Power Scorecard grades each state on whether its energy policies give individuals, cities, and communities the choice to build clean energy wealth locally, rather than rely on incumbent utility companies.… Read More
ILSR issued a report that shows how local communities can seize the opportunity presented by the American Rescue Plan Act’s funding to rethink their local economic development strategies to favor local, independent businesses. … Read More
A statement from ILSR Co-Director Stacy Mitchell on the American Innovation and Choice Online Act. … Read More
A new online course from ILSR will support the expansion of locally-based composting initiatives at community gardens, farms, schools, and other sites. Composting transforms food scraps and other materials into a valuable product that improves soil health, while recycling nutrients that would otherwise be disposed. Composting also helps communities reduce wasted food and combat climate change. … Read More
New research shows that electric utilities and state and local policymakers are hampering growth of solar energy in the United States through unnecessary delays and increased costs. If these issues are not resolved, communities stand to miss out on the job-creating and money-saving benefits of bringing solar to more people, including working class families, people of color, and rural households.… Read More
A new report from ILSR finds that Amazon has exploited its power as a monopoly gatekeeper to impose increasingly steep fees on the independent businesses that sell on its site. Amazon now pockets a 34 percent cut of the revenue earned by independent sellers on its site, up from 19 percent in 2014. Amazon’s steep and growing fees make it nearly impossible for independent sellers to sustain viable businesses. Most fail. … Read More
A new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) examines Internet Service Providers’ (ISPs) transparency — or lack thereof — around the Internet service packages they offer. Shopping for Broadband: Failed Federal Policy Creates Murky Marketplace finds that locally-controlled broadband networks are the most transparent around key service details. Large ISPs, on the other hand, are more likely to make information like upload speed and pricing difficult or impossible to find.… Read More
“By establishing clear rules to stop dominant corporations from abusing their power, this legislation will safeguard democracy and create new vitality in struggling rural and urban areas alike,” said ILSR’s Stacy Mitchell.… Read More
Statement from Stacy Mitchell, Co-Director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, on the introduction of the Platform Competition and Opportunity Act of 2021, legislation that would set a high bar for acquisitions and mergers by Big Tech firms.… Read More
