Local Energy Rules

“Establishing public power is the beginning of a process, and not an end,” says SMUD Board Candidate Derek Cressman.

For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, customers of four publicly-owned utilities explain some limitations of the public power model and how they are organizing to increase accountability. The utilities included in their stories are Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Tennessee Valley Authority, Salt River Project, and Omaha Public Power District. This is part five of a special series: The Promise and Peril of Publicly-Owned Power.

Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation.

https://ilsr.org/articles/public-power-series-5-perils-ler169/

Customers of four publicly-owned utilities explain some limitations of the public power model and how they are organizing to increase accountability. This is part five of a special series: The Promise and Peril of Publicly-Owned Power. |

Show page available: https://ilsr.org/public-power-series-5-perils-ler169/ |

Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/local-energy-rules-podcast-homepage |

Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation online using the #LocalEnergyRules hashtag!

Federal lawmakers are getting all the credit, but the real work of the Inflation Reduction Act will be done by federal agencies, private entities, and state and local governments.

For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell is joined by Amy Turner, Senior Fellow with the Cities Climate Law Initiative at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. They discuss how cities can use Inflation Reduction Act dollars to advance local goals — and should help their residents do the same.

Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation.

https://ilsr.org/articles/inflation-reduction-act-cities-ler168/

Cities can take over when their private utility’s service is poor, but municipalization isn’t all or nothing.

For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell describes three municipalization attempts: Boulder, Colo., Minneapolis, and Decorah, Iowa. Each city failed to form its own utility, but found silver linings in trying. This is part four of a special series: The Promise and Peril of Publicly-Owned Power.

Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation.

https://ilsr.org/articles/public-power-series-4-game-over-ler167/

John Farrell describes three municipalization attempts: Boulder, Colo., Minneapolis, and Decorah, Iowa. Each city failed to form its own utility, but found silver linings in trying. This is part four of a special series: The Promise and Peril of Publicly-Owned Power. |

Show page available: https://ilsr.org/public-power-series-4-game-over-ler167/ |

Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/local-energy-rules-podcast-homepage |

Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation online using the #LocalEnergyRules hashtag!

Cities want to provide affordable, reliable service to their residents, but for-profit electric utilities won’t give up their monopolies without a fight.

For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, John Coyle describes how to form a publicly-owned utility and lists the four ingredients for baking up a public takeover. This is part three in a special series: The Promise and Peril of Publicly-Owned Power.

Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation.

https://ilsr.org/articles/public-power-series-3-ingredients-ler166/

John Coyle describes how to form a publicly-owned utility and lists the four ingredients for baking up a public takeover. This is part three in a special series: The Promise and Peril of Publicly-Owned Power. |

Show page available: https://ilsr.org/public-power-series-3-ingredients-ler166/ |

Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/local-energy-rules-podcast-homepage |

Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation online using the #LocalEnergyRules hashtag!

For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell is joined by Randy Knight, City Manager of Winter Park, Fla., and Ursula Schryver, Vice President of Strategic Member Engagement and Education at the American Public Power Association. Schryver describes the benefits of consumer-owned utility service and Knight reports on the progress that municipalization brought to Winter Park. In addition to segments of these two new interviews, archived clips from leaders in Rochester, Minn., Georgetown, Texas, and Burlington, Vt. highlight the many benefits of public power. This is part two in a special series: The Promise and Peril of Publicly-Owned Power.

Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation.

https://ilsr.org/articles/public-power-series-2-benefits-ler165/

Ursula Schryver describes the benefits of consumer-owned utility service and Randy Knight reports on the progress that municipalization brought to Winter Park, Fla.This is part two in a special series: The Promise and Peril of Publicly-Owned Power. |

Show page available: https://ilsr.org/public-power-series-2-benefits-ler165/ |

Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/local-energy-rules-podcast-homepage |

Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation online using the #LocalEnergyRules hashtag!

On Wenesday, as advocates held their breath, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. But what exactly is in the 700-plus page bill?

For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell is joined by Katie Kienbaum, Senior Researcher on ILSR’s Energy Democracy Initiative. They discuss the Inflation Reduction Act and how it will support distributed solar through extended tax credits, a greenhouse gas reduction fund, and other incentives.

Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation.

https://ilsr.org/articles/inflation-reduction-act-local-solar-ler164/