Welcome to the February newsletter! In honor of Black History Month, the focus of this newsletter is on equity. We have committed to being more intentional about considering equity and justice in all of our activities and have reflected it in our newly-updated mission:
Clean Energy Action is a Colorado-based, grassroots organization dedicated to accelerating the equitable transition to a post-fossil fuel world. We commit to applying anti-racist principles to protect and empower Colorado communities through public education, nonprofit collaboration, and policy advocacy.
Items that didn't make it, as usual, go on our social media feeds, so if you're on Facebook or Twitter you can stay in the loop there as well.
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Spotlight on Organizations That Do Great Work |
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This month we want to uplift Blackpackers, a nonprofit whose mission is twofold:
1) To create economic equity in outdoor recreation and
2) To connect underrepresented communities with jobs, internships, volunteer opportunities, and mentors to establish a pipeline between recreation in the outdoors and careers in the outdoors.
Blackpackers helps people of color access skiing, snowboarding, backpacking, camping and a slew of other activities. You can volunteer your expertise or donate to support their mission!
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We also want to express appreciation for Energy Outreach Colorado, an organization that advocates for consumer rights at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, the Colorado General Assembly, and gas and electric utilities. EOC focuses on the needs of low-income customers and vulnerable customers, coordinating valuable services, resources, and education.
Read about all of the diverse and accomplished people recognized by BizWest HERE, but in particular see Arthur Hicks, Senior Director of Technical Services of Namaste Solar and developer of a program to help students from historically underrepresented groups gain electrical trade experience.
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PUC Begins to Consider Environmental Justice
Equity is newly in discussion at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) as the agency responds to duties prescribed by 2021 legislation (SB 21-272): Regulators shall “in all of its work… consider how best to provide equity, minimize impacts, and prioritize benefits to disproportionately impacted communities and address historical inequalities.” Internally, PUC staff are working to address these requirements, as Commissioner Megan Gilman commented upon in the Clean Heat Plan proceeding (and quoted in a Colorado Politics article):
“We are still working on improving our role in engagement and specifically engagement related to disproportionately impacted communities.”
The Clean Heat Plan proceeding is one of the first where dual issues of decarbonization and equity have been addressed by the PUC. Commissioner Gilman acknowledged that disproportionately impacted communities are already spread thin, while public comments noted that engaging at the PUC is complicated and impacts remain unclear.
CEA is ecstatic to see the PUC embrace these important questions. Holding space for difficult conversations and facing dramatic internal changes lays the foundation for leadership and innovation. We hope that the PUC will commit to bold action, new rulemakings, and a new paradigm moving forward.
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CEA Board Member Brings Energy Equity Research to a National Audience |
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CEA Board Member Marguerite Behringer brought first-of-its-kind research on energy equity to the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Annual Meeting in November 2021. Sharing work sponsored by the Institute for Market Transformation, Marguerite reviewed examples of how utilities and regulators alike are incorporating equity and decarbonization. Example activities include new approaches to public engagement, workforce transition plans, internal PUC initiatives to increase diversity, and more.
Read more about this research project on our blog HERE, or jump to a full list of the research documents HERE. A more digestible slide deck can be seen HERE. Marguerite aspires to continue this research focus and would be delighted for interested partners to email her!
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Xcel Rerouting Power Pathway Around Indigenous Sites
In a victory for Indigenous groups, Xcel’s proposed Power Pathway transmission project has been revised to protect cultural sites. While we think the project is overpriced and unnecessary, it’s a good sign that Xcel engaged with and acted on feedback from Indigenous groups.
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PFAS from Fracking Identified in Colorado, Driving Environmental Justice Issues
A new report by the Physicians for Social Responsibility discusses the impacts of “forever chemicals” leaked by fracking activities. The report affirms that “Fenceline” communities – people living very close to oil and gas operations – often bear a disproportionate risk of exposure to toxic chemicals and may be particularly at risk from chemicals used in oil and gas extraction. Impacts to a LatinX community in Greeley, Colorado were discussed, where low-income students were exposed to elevated airborne benzene levels due to proximity to oil wells.
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Oil and Gas Companies Employ Scare Tactics to Keep Communities Depending on Them
Utilities are claiming that renewables will bring instability, but the fears are exaggerated and disproportionately-impacted communities have much more to gain from the cleaner air, cleaner water, resilience, and local control that renewables can bring.
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Suncor Update, CDPHE’s Environmental Justice Initiative
The Colorado Department of Health and Environment (CDPHE), of which the Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) is a part, is required by law to consider environmental justice in their decision-making processes. This requirement, paired with a recent judicial ruling that requires air pollution permits to be acted upon within 18 months of filing, could set the AQCC up to finally react to the public outcry against Suncor’s expired oil refinery permits, from 2010 and 2016. Sadly, a draft permit for Plant 2 issued in February indicates that this environmental justice crime will continue.
If more people got connected and let the CDPHE know that they need to do more to protect Colorado residents, especially in frontline communities, maybe we can get them moving faster on this path. Check out their website HERE and sign up for notifications HERE.
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Xcel Energy is Slowing the Growth of Community Solar Gardens
Xcel is balking at using a $30 million public fund - paid for by ratepayers - to subsidize community solar projects, which is exactly what it's meant for. If Xcel were really sincere about equity and supporting lower-income ratepayers, they would not only prioritize community solar gardens, they'd use some of their half a billion dollars in profits every year to get them built rather than reneging on their own RFP.
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State Legislative Update
The legislature has had less focus on climate and energy bills than we've been hoping for so far, but one that has been introduced aims to protect ratepayers from disconnections. Disconnections are a key marker of social justice disparities.
HB22-1018 | Electric And Gas Utility Customer Protections | Concerning a state regulated utility's practices regarding a customer's ability to pay the customer's utility bill. | Sponsor: Rep Kennedy
CEA position: Support
The full list can be seen HERE.
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PUC Update
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The Colorado PUC opened a proceeding to examine community choice in wholesale electric supply. This is something we at CEA are excited about, and we hope community choice continues to gain traction.
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Black Hills Electric Co. filed amended new rates and tariffs related to its transportation electrification programs, approved in docket no. 20A-0195E.
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PUC Trial Staff recommended approval of the settlement in Xcel’s rate case, but note continued disagreement on the costs of retiring coal and gas units.
Read more about January PUC activities HERE.
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What We Are Reading
Dakota Access Pipeline legal victory
The U.S. Supreme Court announced it will not take up a case brought by Energy Transfer, operator of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The pipeline operator sought to challenge a legal victory won by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, invalidating a key federal permit and requiring a complete environmental review.
Bronzeville, Country's First Neighborhood Microgrid, Passes Islanding Test
The microgrid in Bronzeville, a historic Black neighborhood in Chicago, has passed the final tests by the US Department of Energy and will serve a thousand buildings and 7 MW peak load.
DTE Energy (Detroit) to Expand Energy Efficiency in Underserved Communities
DTE Energy in Michigan will add almost $40 million to its energy efficiency budget for income-qualified customers in 2022 and 2023. DTE will also develop a geographic targeting initiative to invest energy efficiency upgrades in historically underserved neighborhoods.
Puerto Rico Getting Support to Transition to Renewables
The Biden administration and Puerto Rico have signed a memorandum of understanding and launched a joint effort to accelerate the growth of renewable energy resources and strengthen the island's grid.
Town in Puerto Rico that Experiences Daily Outages to get 100% Renewable Microgrid
The mountain town of Maricao, Puerto Rico won a competition for a new microgrid to correct its daily power outages.
California's Omission of Community Solar from Distributed Energy Policies is Shortsighted
The California PUC’s delayed “Net Energy Metering 3.0” has received widespread criticism for failing to address equity, including due to its lack of community solar. Community solar is essential if we are to transition to clean energy in an equitable manner.
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Happy Black History Month!
- The Clean Energy Action Team
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Connect with CEA on social media |
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