Hi friends -
Here’s a cool project (run by an awesome and effective changemaker friend) to flip the elected boards of public utilities so that they’ll switch to clean energy.
Seems like a really important initiative to fight climate change, and they’re seeking some bridge funding, so I wanted to pass it on. : )
She’s cc’ed, and is happy to answer any questions that y’all might have.
warmly,
Corinna
Begin forwarded message:
From: Daisy Pistey-Lyhne daisypl@gmail.com Subject: Supporting recruitment of clean energy candidates to local utility boards Date: January 3, 2020 at 8:47:56 PM PST To: Corinna Kester corinna.kester@gmail.com
Hi Corinna-
Responding to your comment on FB about wanting to know more about clean energy champion recruitment, thanks for being interested in supporting this project!
A little bit more below about the project I'm leading at Resistance Labs called the Climate Utility Transition (CUT Carbon) project. If you'd like to make a donation, you can do so here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cut-carbon https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cut-carbon (though link below for donations over $500 if you'd like it to be tax-deductible)
Basically, we're looking to disrupt the entrenched politics in the ~3000 public utilities across the country (municipal utilities and rural electric co-ops) where 28% of our energy is being generated/used, and where a significant proportion of the remaining coal fleet resides. Most energy regulation and most clean energy campaigns in the last decade have been focused on IOUs. Therefore these public utilities now have 40-250% more coal than your average IOU, and often still have policies that block the entry of renewables.
When we look at the composition of the Boards of these utilities (click for one example), https://www.pvrea.coop/board-directors it's not hard to understand why: Board members have been around for a long time usually with no challengers running against them, they often support fossil energy, and they don't work to bring forward new information that would support clean energy. We want to change this by identifying important and winnable utility Board races, and recruiting and electing clean energy champions to these Boards. We will focus on utilities where an opportunity for a transition to clean energy is ripe, in order to see near-term impact. Many times these races are decided by a handful of votes, in a total population of 500-7000 voters. New Board members will bring new ideas about energy resources, and open up new opportunities for clean, renewable energy to gain ground in these markets.
We have already successfully engaged in a couple elections, and have built strong momentum for the project with local, regional and national groups across the country such as Sierra Club, LCV and their state level affiliates in many states, EDF Action Fund, Advanced Energy Economy, the Western Organization of Resource Councils, the Rural Electric Co-operative Elections Toolkit (RECET), the Southern Renewable Energy Association, Sunrise Movement, Solar United Neighbors, and many other small and large solar companies, and state/local climate & energy organizations in Nebraska, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Minnesota, California, Montana and more.
A number of large foundations have indicated that they are likely to give significant sums in the new year, but we need to extend our runway in order to put a bow on those conversations and get the dollars in the door. We need to raise $25,000 by January 15th in order to keep our important research and outreach operation going. Can you help support this work? If you can make a donation of $200, that would help significantly with keeping us going.
Much of our work (including all co-op work) is 501c3 eligible, if you need to make a tax-deductible gift. However, 501c4 money is easier to use. So we can accept either. Information on how to give is here https://contesteveryrace.com/cut-carbon-501c3/.
Thanks for what you're able to offer to help move forward this clean energy transition! Daisy
P.S. For more information on the upheaval possible in smaller utilities and in rural America, and the need for a shake-up of these long-standing power structures, this is a good article https://www.cpr.org/2019/12/20/rural-utilities-are-looking-for-their-own-piece-of-colorados-low-carbon-future-that-could-mean-breaking-up-big-power-providers/about the dynamics at play in the Tri-State G&T area in CO & NM.
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cut-carbon
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Daisy Pistey-Lyhne 707.591.1524