Investment Funds v. A Democratic Future
A community advocacy organization fought to transfer power from a fossil fuel-backed investment firm to community-driven clean energy. … Read More
New Mexicans v. Fossil Fuel Giants
A determined coalition fights to block a private takeover of the state’s largest utility. … Read More
How Utilities Neglect Certain Customers — Episode 189 of Local Energy Rules
Alex Hill discusses a report on utility redlining in electric distribution, the impacts of inadequate grid infrastructure, and how the report helped make a case against the utility’s proposed rate increase.… Read More
Proof in the Public Takeover Pudding — Episode 184 of Local Energy Rules
Randy Knight explains how the Winter Park, Fla., overcame utility opposition to create a publicly-owned electric utility and shares his advice to other cities. Portions of this interview were released as part of last year’s series on public power.… Read More
Shining Up Sacramento’s Lackluster Public Utility — Episode 172 of Local Energy Rules
Derek Cressman and Fatima Malik, who both ran for seats on the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) board, describe the evolution of SMUD, how the public utility is failing its customers, and share their proposed solutions.… Read More
San Antonio Report (Opinion): How we’re making San Antonio hotter — and how we can help cool it down
Bill Barker cites Institute for Local Self-Reliance research on the potential usefulness of water pipes as a replacement for dirty energy utilities among the creative solutions available to mitigate the harms modern comforts introduce to a heating planet.… Read More
ILSR Asks Arizona Commissioners to Consider Community Solar
In this letter to the Arizona Corporation Commission, ILSR highlights community solar as a pathway to building distributed solar capacity and extending the benefits of solar to more Arizona residents, businesses, and public entities.… Read More
A People’s Playbook on Advancing Energy Justice, Despite Utility Misdirection — Episode 156 of Local Energy Rules
For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell and guest Yesenia Rivera discuss the People’s Utility Justice Playbook and how to combat utility tactics that undermine energy democracy.… Read More
How Monopoly Energy Utilities Impede Innovation — Episode 146 of Building Local Power
On this episode of the Building Local Power Podcast, Jess Del Fiacco is joined by John Farrell and guest Ari Peskoe who is the director of the energy law initiative at Harvard Law School. They discuss the acts that Congress has passed to increase (but hasn’t) competition in electric utilities, the four orders the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ruled between 1996 and 2011, and the cost utility’s evading competitive processes has on consumers. … Read More