Just Power

What happens when a state doesn’t just talk about an energy equity and justice plan —but actually builds one? In this episode of Just Power, host Carolyn Parrs sits down with Will Toor, Executive Director of the Colorado Energy Office, to unpack how Colorado has become a national model for climate action that puts equity, affordability, and real people at the center. From wildfire risk to coal community transitions to EV access, home electrification, and the surge in data centers and AI-driven load, Will shares what it looks like to design climate policy that is both science-based and justice-focused—and what other states can learn from Colorado’s bold, sometimes uncomfortable choices.

Highlights

• How a childhood encounter with toxic water set Will on a path toward environmental, climate, and energy justice leadership.
• What Colorado’s first-in-the-nation Office of Just Transition is doing for coal-reliant communities—from property tax protection to repowering sites with clean energy and new industry.
• How Colorado’s three climate pillars—mitigation, adaptation, and equitable transition—translate into concrete policies on power plants, buildings, transportation, and industrial emissions.
• Why wildfires, housing, and insurance are now core climate equity issues—and how smarter land use and grid investments can reduce risk for the most vulnerable communities.
• How Colorado is tackling energy affordability with income-qualified EV programs, low- and moderate-income electrification rebates, and careful planning so data centers and AI don’t drive up bills for everyone else.

About my guest, Will Toor
Will is the Executive Director at Colorado Energy Office.                                              Website: https://climate.colorado.gov/cc-goals-equitable-transition                            LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-toor-a8b33120/

Referenced in this podcast: Volts podcast with David Roberts: "Clean electrification is inevitable"-https://www.volts.wtf/p/clean-electrification-is-inevitable.

About Carolyn Parrs
Carolyn is the CEO of Mind Over Markets, a branding and messaging firm that helps mission-driven businesses and energy organizations communicate with clarity and power. 
Website: https://mindovermarkets.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindovermarkets
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynparrs/

About Just Power Podcast
Just Power is a clean energy transition podcast focused on grid modernization, affordability, community engagement, and energy justice — featuring leaders from utilities, policy, technology, and frontline communities.

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In this Season 4 opener of Just Power, Dr. Tony Reames returns with host, Carolyn Parrs, to reflect on a year that’s seen major rollbacks in federal climate and equity policy — and yet surprising momentum at the state, local, and community level. Tony, who helped establish the first Office of Energy Justice Policy and Analysis at the U.S. Department of Energy and now leads the Detroit Sustainability Clinic, walks us through what’s been dismantled, what’s quietly taking root, and why he still believes the pendulum can swing toward justice if we’re willing to fight for it. This conversation moves from Justice40 and safety-net cuts to data centers, neighborhood solar, and the power of listening as a radical tool for change.

Highlights

• How Tony’s definition of energy justice has evolved.
• Why federal equity frameworks like Justice40 were vulnerable, and why the next wave of energy justice may be state- and community-led.
• The deeper meaning of LIHEAP and SNAP cuts — what that “silence” from policymakers reveals about who counts in our system.
• A candid message to utility CEOs and regulators about treating energy as a vital service, not just a commodity.
• The overlooked impacts of massive data centers on local communities — and what a truly just “data center playbook” might look like.
• Inside Detroit’s Sustainability Clinic: neighborhood solar, community benefits, and why Tony’s students still give him hope that the arc can bend toward justice.

About Dr. Tony Reames

Website: https://thegreenscholar.com/

Tishman Professor of Environmental Justice, University of Michigan

Associate Professor, School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)

Director, SEAS Detroit Sustainability Clinic

Director, Urban Energy Justice Lab

Founder & Advisor,  Energy Equity Project

Google Scholar

Show notes

• Georgia / commissioners Democrats win big over GOP incumbents in 2 statewide Georgia utility regulator races (AP News, November 5, 2025) 
• Tony's colleague, Myles Lennon, "Subjects of the Sun: Solar Energy in the Shadows of Racial Capitalism" 
• Listen to Tony's first interview on Just Power (January 2025): https://youtu.be/shInMaONXYk?si=s67apcwPXfussxtN

About Carolyn Parrs

Carolyn is the CEO of Mind Over Markets, a branding and messaging firm that helps energy companies and mission-driven businesses clarify their message, cut through the clutter and grow sustainably.
Website: https://mindovermarkets.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynparrs/

About Just Power Podcast

Just Power is about the human side of the clean energy transition. The podcast focuses on grid modernization, energy affordability, and community engagement — featuring leaders from utilities, policy, technology, and frontline communities navigating the real-world impacts of energy infrastructure change.

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In this Just Power Season 3 finale, host Carolyn Parrs brings together industry leaders and equity advocates for an unflinching look at how utilities can meet the rising energy demand of data centers and electrification in our energy transition. 

From fairness and community engagement to job transitions and community solar, this conversation explores what a truly just energy transition demands of us — as utilities, regulators, and citizens.

Featuring insights from:
 Ben Nathan (E Source) | Dana Clare Redden (Solar Stewards) | John Egan (Egan Energy Communications) | Amy Miller (AMM Consulting) | Walter Cuculic (Renewable Energy Origination & Deal Structuring)

This episode challenges entrenched interests, honors displaced workers, and calls for a new model of partnership between utilities and the communities they serve.

Highlights

• Meeting the data center dilemma
• Setting guardrails for fairness
• Listen first, build later
• The human cost of transition
• Community solar for all
• Collaboration over competition

About Carolyn Parrs
Carolyn is the CEO of Mind Over Markets, a branding and messaging firm that helps energy companies and mission-driven businesses clarify their message, cut through the clutter and grow sustainably.
Website: https://mindovermarkets.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindovermarkets
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynparrs/

About Just Power Podcast
Just Power is about the human side of the clean energy transition. The podcast focuses on grid modernization, energy affordability, and community engagement — featuring leaders from utilities, policy, technology, and frontline communities navigating the real-world impacts of energy infrastructure change.

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This inspiring episode of Just Power is all about how to start an energy equity program that truly centers people and communities. You'll hear six leading voices share what it means to take the first steps. From community engagement and pilot projects to measurement frameworks and interagency collaboration, they offer practical insights to move from intention to action. Whether you’re a policymaker, utility leader, or community advocate, this episode is your guidepost to starting where you are.

Featured Guests

Gregory Reed, Director, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

Megan Day, Senior Energy Planner, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Tony Reames, PhD, Energy and Environmental Justice Scholar, Policy Advisor

Dr. David Drabble, Senior Researcher, Travistock Institute of Human Relations, Scotland

Cathy Newby, Director of Tribal Government, PNM

Ben Nathan, Director of Affordability and Equity, E-Source

Highlights:

• How utilities can identify and engage their most energy-burdened customers.
• Why co-creating solutions with communities leads to better outcomes.
• Real examples of pilot programs and early wins in energy equity.
• The importance of developing clear equity metrics and measurable goals.
• How Tribal Relations offices and local partnerships redefine “meaningful consultation.”
• Strategies to align utilities, governments, and communities around shared clean energy plans.

About Carolyn Parrs
Carolyn is the CEO of Mind Over Markets, a branding and messaging firm that helps energy companies and mission-driven businesses clarify their message, cut through the clutter and grow sustainably.
Website: https://mindovermarkets.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindovermarkets
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynparrs/

About Just Power Podcast
Just Power is about the human side of the clean energy transition. The podcast focuses on grid modernization, energy affordability, and community engagement — featuring leaders from utilities, policy, technology, and frontline communities navigating the real-world impacts of energy infrastructure change.

🔔 Never Miss an Update! Subscribe Now
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Like, comment, and share this episode with a friend, policy maker, or energy provider who needs to hear this.

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In our Energy Transition, we talk a lot about technology, rates, and policy—but what about the people helping communities navigate it all? Meet the human guides powering trust and change: Energy Coaches.

Download The Guide- 7 Traits of an Effective Energy Coach: https://mindovermarkets.com/energycoach/

In this Just Power episode, host Carolyn Parrs reveals why Energy Coaches are essential infrastructure for an equitable clean energy future. From cutting through utility jargon and rate confusion to building trust with renters, elders, Tribal families, and underserved communities, Carolyn breaks down seven traits that make Energy Coaches effective so utilities, solar developers, regulators, and community organizations can reduce disconnections, improve program uptake, and strengthen resilience. If you care about energy affordability, equity, and real results—not just portals and pamphlets—this conversation is your roadmap.

• What an Energy Coach is (and isn’t).
• The seven must-have traits of an Energy Coach.
• How Energy Coaches lower energy burden: fewer shutoffs, higher participation in assistance, efficiency, and community/solar programs.
• Why this matters now: AI-era complexity, regulatory scrutiny, and the “trust recession” demand human connection and accountability.
• Action steps: train local navigators, partner with CBOs and Tribal leaders, and fund the human layer of the transition to scale equitable outcomes.

About Carolyn Parrs
Carolyn is the CEO of Mind Over Markets, a branding and messaging firm that helps energy companies and mission-driven businesses clarify their message, cut through the clutter and grow sustainably.
Website: https://mindovermarkets.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindovermarkets
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynparrs/

About Just Power Podcast
Just Power is about the human side of the clean energy transition. The podcast focuses on grid modernization, energy affordability, and community engagement — featuring leaders from utilities, policy, technology, and frontline communities navigating the real-world impacts of energy infrastructure change.

🔔 Never Miss an Update! Subscribe Now
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheJustPowerPodcast?sub_confirmation=1

💖 Spread the Love
Like, comment, and share this episode with a friend, policy maker, or energy provider who needs to hear this.

Download The Guide- 7 Traits of an Effective Energy Coach: https://mindovermarkets.com/energycoach/

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Millions of families are living one late payment away from losing power. A scenario that can be both devastating and dangerous for many. But what if there was a way to flip the script—where customers stay in control, utilities cut costs, and communities conserve energy all at once?

In this episode of Just Power, Carolyn unpacks prepaid power with David Conn—a bold reimagining of how we pay for electricity. As VP of Business Development and Policy at Exceleron, David reveals how prepaid power can protect vulnerable households against losing power and crushing debt, while driving real-time behavior changes in energy use. He shares how it works, why it challenges the status quo, and what it could mean for the future of utilities and the people they serve.

Key insights

• Prepaid power lets customers control costs by paying upfront and avoiding surprise bills.
• Real-time usage feedback sparks conservation and lasting behavior change.
• Utilities save money on collections while improving customer trust and satisfaction.
• Prepaid programs reduce disconnections and the trauma of losing essential service.
• Innovative billing models like prepaid may be critical to the future of energy equity and affordability.

About our guest, David Conn
David joined Exceleron as Vice President of Business Development and Policy in July 2024, after nearly 16 years as the Energy Assistance Program Manager at Baltimore Gas and Electric, where he oversaw the development and implementation of the limited income strategy for Maryland’s largest investor-owned utility.
Websites: www.paygoutilities.com | www.exceleron.com                                       
Email: [email protected]

About Carolyn Parrs
Carolyn is the CEO of Mind Over Markets, a branding and messaging firm that helps energy companies and mission-driven businesses clarify their message, cut through the clutter and grow sustainably.
Website: https://mindovermarkets.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindovermarkets
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynparrs/

About Just Power Podcast
Just Power is about the human side of the clean energy transition. The podcast focuses on grid modernization, energy affordability, and community engagement — featuring leaders from utilities, policy, technology, and frontline communities navigating the real-world impacts of energy infrastructure change.

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What really happens behind the closed doors of America’s utility companies? In this episode of Just Power, Carolyn sits down with Amy Miller — a veteran energy industry executive and President of AMM Consulting and AMM Communications Coach  — for a candid conversation on the lessons, confessions and stories from her 25+ year career. From rural electric co-ops to investor-owned utilities, Amy shares what she’s learned about the industry’s most misunderstood challenges, the tension between shareholders and communities, and why trust is the real currency of the energy sector.

Key Insights

• The utility industry is powerful, complex, and often misunderstood
• Building trust with low-income customers is essential to equity and service.
• Effective communication is crucial in the energy sector.
• Utilities must listen to community needs before making decisions.
• Future energy leaders will need empathy, transparency, and courage to succeed.

About my guest, Amy Miller
Amy is the President of AMM Consulting and AMM Communications Coach. She provides her expertise to organizations on strategic planning, stakeholder engagement and communications and issues management.
Websites: https://ammconsultingstrategies.com/; https://ammcommunicationscoach.com/                                                         
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-miller-abq/

About Carolyn Parrs
Carolyn is the CEO of Mind Over Markets, a branding and messaging firm that helps sustainable businesses and energy organizations communicate with clarity and power. 
Website: https://mindovermarkets.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindovermarkets
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynparrs/

About Just Power Podcast
Just Power is about the human side of the clean energy transition. The podcast focuses on grid modernization, energy affordability, and community engagement — featuring leaders from utilities, policy, technology, and frontline communities navigating the real-world impacts of energy infrastructure change.

🔔 Never Miss an Update! Subscribe Now
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheJustPowerPodcast?sub_confirmation=1

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Like, comment, and share this episode with a friend, policy maker, or energy provider who needs to hear this.

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What energy equity questions are regulators asking utilities today? I break down what these questions are, why they matter, and how you can prepare your answers before you’re in the hot seat. From affordability to community engagement, from data transparency to equity impacts, I share real-world examples and insights to help you get ready now. If you’re a utility leader, energy buyer, sustainability executive, or anyone working at the intersection of clean energy and community, this episode gives you a clear roadmap to anticipate regulators’ concerns, strengthen your strategy, and show up as a partner in building an equitable energy future.

Resources: Just Power Podcast Episodes to Check Out:

• 5 Energy Justice Questions We Must Ask Communities Now: https://youtu.be/wnI4QD74xCc?si=VGE3OL7DgW39QB2t
• 8 Ways to Nurture Communities in Rough Times: https://youtu.be/fTq5pGNag80?si=B32dcWzvaVIYgMV9
• LA's Bold Path to 100% Renewable Energy: https://youtu.be/I3Lrr1Qf9tA?si=n3pQWK98Pca0AKgR
• Rethinking Energy Assistance in the 21st Century with Jeff Ackermann: https://youtu.be/-yIoA4u43No?si=_pepYqq7BL9eEMwO
• Breaking the Energy Assistance Barrier with Shuba Harris: https://youtu.be/hql4MX_vUEM?si=p3CYGsEOrOIDOxvJ

About Carolyn Parrs
Carolyn Parrs is the CEO of Mind Over Markets, a branding and messaging firm that helps sustainable businesses and energy organizations communicate with clarity and power. 
Website: https://mindovermarkets.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindovermarkets
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynparrs/

About Just Power Podcast
Just Power is about the human side of the clean energy transition. The podcast focuses on grid modernization, energy affordability, and community engagement — featuring leaders from utilities, policy, technology, and frontline communities navigating the real-world impacts of energy infrastructure change.

🔔 Never Miss an Update! Subscribe Now
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We unpack one of the most urgent challenges in today’s energy sector: skyrocketing electricity costs and the massive infrastructure investments required to meet surging demand—driven in large part by AI and data centers. Joining me is John Egan, founder and President of Egan Energy Communications. Together, we explore how these rising costs will impact everyday households, particularly low- to middle-income families, and what regulators and utilities must do to ensure fair pricing, equity, and resilience.

John makes a bold case for a cultural shift in utilities—moving from top-down decision-making to genuine collaboration with customers and communities. From creating customer working groups to launching ambassador programs, he shows how utilities can build trust, strengthen their social license to operate, and even mitigate business risks like bond downgrades or municipalization threats. 

Key Insights

• Electric bills are projected to rise significantly in the coming years.
• AI and data centers are fueling unprecedented infrastructure demands.
• Customer working groups and ambassador programs can strengthen relationships.
• Energy equity is both a moral obligation and a strategic business advantage.
• Ignoring customer voices risks regulatory backlash and loss of trust.
• Bond rating agencies and investors are beginning to factor in environmental and equity risks.
• Co-creating the energy transition with communities leads to stronger, more resilient outcomes.

About John Egan
John is the founder and President of Egan Energy Communications. He has worked with utilities and utility groups around the country since 2009 helping them tell better stories to connect more deeply with their critical audiences.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 720-949-4906

About Carolyn Parrs
Carolyn Parrs is the CEO of Mind Over Markets, a branding and messaging firm that helps sustainable businesses and energy organizations communicate with clarity and power. 
Website: https://mindovermarkets.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindovermarkets
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynparrs/

About Just Power Podcast
Just Power is about the human side of the clean energy transition. The podcast focuses on grid modernization, energy affordability, and community engagement — featuring leaders from utilities, policy, technology, and frontline communities navigating the real-world impacts of energy infrastructure change.

🔔 Never Miss an Update! Subscribe Now
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheJustPowerPodcast?sub_confirmation=1

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We’re living through one of the most significant transitions in the energy sector in decades. The way utilities and energy providers communicate with communities has never mattered more. In this episode, host Carolyn Parrs explores how to move beyond traditional “customer service” and instead build authentic, two-way relationships rooted in storytelling, listening and empathy. 

Carolyn shares why communities want to be heard, not managed—and why storytelling is one of the most powerful tools utilities can use to connect. Your role is being a guide, not a hero, in helping customers solve problems, envision success, and take action. Whether you’re a utility leader, energy professional, or community advocate, Carolyn gives you a clear, actionable roadmap for communicating with purpose during these changing times.

Key Insights

• The energy sector is undergoing a major transition that demands new communication approaches.
• Listening deeply to communities is more impactful than simply “serving customers.”
• Storytelling transforms communication by making customers the heroes of their own journeys.
• Empathy and authority are essential for guiding communities through change.
• Identify the real problems people face, then create clear, simple action plans.
• Paint vivid pictures of success that motivate and inspire.
• Communication works best when it’s two-way, not one-way.

Resource
Building a StoryBrand 2.0 by Donald Miller: https://www.amazon.com/Building-StoryBrand-2-0-Clarify-Customers/dp/1400248876

About Carolyn Parrs
Carolyn Parrs is the CEO of Mind Over Markets, a branding and messaging firm that helps sustainable businesses and energy organizations communicate with clarity and power. Learn more at:

Website: https://mindovermarkets.com/                                                              LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynparrs/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindovermarkets

About Just Power Podcast
Just Power is about the human side of the clean energy transition. The podcast focuses on grid modernization, energy affordability, and community engagement — featuring leaders from utilities, policy, technology, and frontline communities navigating the real-world impacts of energy infrastructure change.

🔔 Never Miss an Update! Subscribe Now
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