How can a community close a coal plant and produce clean electricity, respect the needs of its community members, and provide a just transition for power plant workers?

A successful, multi-year campaign by community members in Holyoke, Mass., to address air pollution and related public health impacts from the coal-fired Mount Tom Power Station and push for clean energy provides a powerful model.

As a new video about this campaign by the Toxics Action Center shows, community efforts were instrumental in closing the nearby plant. The campaign didn’t stop there, however. It pushed for initiatives to help plant workers transition into new careers or retirement and to develop a new solar and energy storage facility to replace the plant.

In this episode of Local Energy Rules, ILSR’s Energy Democracy Initiative director John Farrell digs into this story with Lena Entin, deputy director of the Toxics Action Center and board member (as well as former community organizer) of the grassroots, Latinx-led economic justice organization Neighbor to Neighbor. Working in close partnership, Neighbor to Neighbor members and the Toxics Action Center built and supported this community-driven campaign that provides important lessons and inspiration to other communities fighting to transform the energy system.

Listen to the episode, read a summary, and explore resources including a transcript of the conversation, below.

https://ilsr.org/articles/community-vision-transition-coal-sol-holyoke-mass-lena-entin-ler-73/

In this episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, John Farrell interviews Lena Entin about an inspiring and successful community-driven campaign in Holyoke, Mass., to shut down an aging coal plant operated by one of the world’s largest multinational e...

Clean energy policy is sweeping the states in 2019, with numerous bills setting targets of 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2050. While these climate-friendly policy proposals have many advocates excited, some utility companies also see them as a golden opportunity.

With advocates laser-focused on climate instead of how renewable energy is deployed and by whom, utility shareholders can win rich rewards by locking in ownership of billions of dollars of new clean energy infrastructure at a hefty price premium to customers.

Mariel Nanasi, executive director of New Energy Economy in New Mexico, joined ILSR’s Director of Energy Democracy, John Farrell, in March 2019, for a new episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, to discuss the state’s proposed Energy Transition Act and its big giveaways to one of New Mexico’s incumbent monopoly utilities, PNM. The two also discussed the pitfalls of state policy that ignores how rooftop solar and other distributed energy offer huge opportunities to share the wealth of a climate-friendly energy system.

Listen to the episode, and explore highlights and resources including a transcript of the conversation, below.

https://ilsr.org/articles/local-choice-carbon-free-bills-mariel-nanasi-ler-72/

In New Mexico, proposed climate legislation would give one of the state’s monopoly utilities a huge handout, leaving customers holding the bag. In a new episode of Local Energy Rules, Mariel Nanasi of the New Energy Economy speaks with John Farrell abo...

The city of Boulder, Colo., is one of more than 100 cities across the country that has adopted an ambitious goal to transition to one hundred percent renewable energy.

A small city on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Boulder has long been a national leader in the pursuit of clean and renewable energy and made a community-wide commitment in 2016 to supply all of its electricity from renewable sources by the year 2030.

For this episode of our Voices of 100% series of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell spoke with Jonathan Koehn, Boulder’s Regional Sustainability Director, in September 2018 to learn more about what has motivated the city’s commitment to renewable energy and what strategies it is pursuing to ensure a vibrant, local, and resilient clean energy future.

https://ilsr.org/articles/boulder-colo-voices-of-100-podcast/

Over 100 U.S. cities have now set goals to transition to 100 percent renewable energy. In a new episode of our Voices of 100% series from Local Energy Rules, we feature the city of Boulder, Colo., and the strategies it is using to make its ambitious lo...

In the face of gridlock and inaction at state and federal levels, what tools do cities have to take the lead on local, renewable energy?

In this episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, John Farrell, director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s Energy Democracy Initiative, is joined by Minneapolis City Councilmember Jeremy Schroeder, who has been a vocal leader in city hall on local energy and climate solutions.

The two spoke for a recent episode of the Institute’s Building Local Power podcast, which we have recut here, to highlight the city’s unique partnership with its incumbent utility and what other tools the city is using to address climate change locally.

https://ilsr.org/articles/jeremy-schroeder-episode-70-local-energy-rules-podcast/

In this episode of Local Energy Rules, Energy Democracy Initiative director John Farrell speaks with Minneapolis City Councilmember Jeremy Schroeder about the city’s unique partnership with its incumbent utility companies and other tools the city can u...

What does it take to build a community solar project (with battery storage) in a small town in northern Minnesota when the monopoly wholesale energy company tells your small city-owned utility to “lawyer up”?

Bill Schnell is the lead volunteer with the Itasca Clean Energy Team, a small group of active citizens in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, working to secure a community solar project for the town. He spoke with John Farrell, ILSR’s director of energy democracy, in January 2019, about building community support for the project and overcoming the objections of Minnesota Power, the electricity supplier to the small town’s city-owned utility.

https://ilsr.org/articles/small-minn-community-david-v-goliath-community-solar-episode-69-local-energy-rules-podcast/

The city of Madison, capital of Wisconsin and sustainability leader in the Midwest, is one of more than 100 cities across the country committing to shift to 100 percent renewable power. But with a hometown utility––investor-owned electric company Madison Gas & Electric––that produces three-quarters of its electricity from coal, it’s path is steeper than most.

Local leader Raj Shukla, chair of the city’s Sustainable Madison Committee and candidate in the city’s spring mayoral election, spoke with John Farrell in August 2018, to discuss the city’s push to carbon-free power. In this episode of Voices of 100%, Shukla and Farrell discuss how the relationship between the city and its utility evolved and specific strategies that will help the city reach its ambitious goal.

https://ilsr.org/articles/madison-wis-voices-of-100-podcast/