AUSTIN, TX -- The February winter storm Uri killed hundreds of Texans. Now, state regulators at the Public Utility Commission (PUC) are following Governor Abbott and allowing the same fossil fuel companies and utilities that caused our suffering to determine the solutions for “fixing” the electric grid. State leaders must listen to everyday Texans and actually fix the electric grid - not to add more of the same old dirty fossil fuels that already left Texans in the cold.
Milwaukee, WI -- Keeping the lights on. That’s what utilities and energy providers proclaim they do. But what happens when utility bills become a burden – or more precisely, an over-burden? That is what’s occurring for many Black and Latinx households in Milwaukee according to a new analysis, Energy Burden in Milwaukee: Study Reveals Major Disparities & Links to Redlined Areas, from Alliance for Climate Education, Black Leaders Organizing for Community, Citizen Action of Wisconsin - North Side Rising Co-op, the Sierra Club, and Voces de la Frontera. Census data from 2013 to 2018 reveal stark contrasts in energy burdens - the percentage of income households pay for their energy bills. Households in well-off white neighborhoods may have an average energy burden of 1% or less, versus the 7 - 10% (or higher) many in predominantly Black or Latinx neighborhoods pay.
DES MOINES, IA -- Last night, the Iowa State Legislature passed a bill that will eliminate energy efficiency programs and reduce regulatory oversight for the state’s electric utilities, which will increase costs for electricity customers and shift risks from the utilities themselves to everyday ratepayers. The bill, Senate File 2311, was contentiously debated and prompted widespread opposition from Iowa families and businesses. Despite broad and vocal opposition from constituents, the bill passed the House with a 52-42 vote on Friday then in the Senate last night. The bill proposes changes that are in direct conflict with the Governor’s State Energy Plan. Opponents are strongly urging Governor Kim Reynolds to veto the bill.
RICHMOND, VA - The Sierra Club announced today that it and the other parties have reached a settlement on Rappahannock Electric Cooperative’s rate case, pending final approval from the State Corporation Commission.