Sinopsis
A conversation with people doing great community renewable energy projects and examining how energy policies help or hurt the development of clean, local power
Episodios
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When a Win is a Win, and a Loss is a Lesson — Episode 162 of Local Energy Rules
03/08/2022Is municipalization — the public takeover of a privately-owned utility — the best way for cities to reach their ambitious clean energy targets? For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, Building Local Power co-hosts Luke Gannon and Reggie Rucker ask John Farrell about an upcoming Local Energy Rules podcast series, “The Promise and Peril of Publicly-Owned Power.” The series (launching August 17th) explores how cities take over their electric utility, what they have to gain from municipalization, and the actual results of several municipalization attempts. This episode was originally published on the Building Local Power podcast feed. Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation. https://ilsr.org/articles/promise-peril-public-power-preview-ler162/
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The Member Campaigns Behind a Colorado Co-op’s Evolution — Episode 161 of Local Energy Rules
20/07/2022Customers of rural electric cooperatives are more than just electric customers; they are members and owners of a cooperative enterprise. For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Kevin Williams, a longtime Colorado organizer currently serving on the Delta Montrose Electric Cooperative board. They discuss how cooperative member-owners mobilized and campaigned for transparency, flexibility, and affordability from their electricity service provider. Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation. https://ilsr.org/articles/coop-organizing-delta-montrose-ler161/
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Small Solar Frees Energy From Decades of Utility-Stifled Innovation — Episode 160 of Local Energy Rules
06/07/2022Innovation in the tech industry has been trending toward smaller devices, increased choices, and more power in the hands of the consumer. Why hasn’t the energy industry followed the same trend? For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Bill Nussey, author of Freeing Energy: How Innovators Are Using Local-scale Solar and Batteries to Disrupt the Global Energy Industry from the Outside In. They discuss how regulated utility monopolies are stifling energy innovation and why “small is the future” of the energy sector. Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation. https://ilsr.org/articles/freeing-energy-solar-batteries-ler160/
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How Colorado Electric Customers Are Leading a Co-op’s Clean Energy Journey — Episode 159 of Local Energy Rules
22/06/2022Rural electric cooperatives are charged with a concern for the community, but how much can an electric provider really do for its customers? For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Bryan Hannegan, President and CEO of Holy Cross Energy. Holy Cross is a cooperative electric utility serving 46,000 customers in Colorado. Farrell and Hannegan discuss how cultural change pushed the utility to break the mold and offer innovative, customer-centric programs in its transition to 100 percent renewable energy. Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation. https://ilsr.org/articles/holy-cross-energy-cooperative-co-ler159/
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Petitioners Ask Feds to Investigate Utility Abuses of Monopoly Power — Episode 158 of Local Energy Rules
09/06/2022Monopoly energy utilities have accrued vast service territories and extraordinary financial power — which they have used to purchase political power. At this point, state regulatory and legislative bodies can only do so much to rein them in. For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Howard Crystal and Liz Veazey. Crystal, Legal Director of the Energy Justice Program at the Center for Biological Diversity, and Veazey, Policy and Rural Energy Director at Solar United Neighbors, were two cosigners on a recent petition to the Federal Trade Commission. The Institute for Local Self-Reliance also signed the petition. Crystal and Veazey explain the petition and why electric utility practices require federal investigation. Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation. https://ilsr.org/articles/ftc-petition-utility-abuses-ler158/
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From the Archive: Ballot Initiative Shapes Iowa Town’s Fight for Local Power — Episode 157 of Local Energy Rules
26/05/2022Utility companies are meddling with elections, exploiting disasters for financial gain, and chronically neglecting their equipment. Could public takeovers, which remove a utility’s profit motive and install public oversight, be the remedy? For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, we’re re-releasing John Farrell’s 2018 interview with Andrew Johnson and Joel Zook of Decorah Power. They discuss how a municipal electric utility could better serve Decorah residents and the city’s 2018 referendum to municipalize (which failed by just three votes). Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation. https://ilsr.org/articles/archive-decorah-power-ballot-ler157/
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A People’s Playbook on Advancing Energy Justice, Despite Utility Misdirection — Episode 156 of Local Energy Rules
11/05/2022Utilities have more than a century of experience in maintaining their monopolies. Thanks to organizers at the Energy Democracy Project, the people now have a playbook that exposes utility tactics and shares proven strategies to advance energy justice. For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Yesenia Rivera, Director of Energy Equity and Inclusion at Solar United Neighbors and member of the Energy Democracy Project. Rivera was also a project anchor for the People’s Utility Justice Playbook and its companion, the People’s History of Utilities. Farrell and Rivera discuss how to combat utility tactics that undermine energy democracy. Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation. https://ilsr.org/articles/peoples-utility-playbook-ler156/
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Monopolistic Utility Companies Suppress the Use of Customer Data — Episode 155 of Local Energy Rules
27/04/2022Using an iPhone solely as an iPod would be a waste, but this failure to harness smart technology’s full potential is happening with electric meters across the United States. Customers have paid their utility for hardware and installation, but the utility won’t enable the meter’s “smart” functions. For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, a rebroadcast from the Building Local Power Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Michael Murray. Murray is president of the Mission Data Coalition. Farrell and Murray discuss how utilities are resisting data portability, even though customers have a right to their own data. Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation. https://ilsr.org/articles/utilities-customer-data-portability-ler155/
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The Movement to Take Back Control From Monopoly Electric Utilities — Episode 154 of Local Energy Rules
13/04/2022Monopoly electric utilities are digging their heels in; warding off competition and protecting their market power by any means necessary. Despite the vast resources of their opponents, several U.S. communities have won recent battles for energy democracy. For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, a rebroadcast from the Building Local Power Podcast, we share a recording of ILSR’s recent event Democratizing Power: New Citizen Initiatives Challenge Monopoly Electric Utilities. In the January 2022 event, ILSR’s Stacy Mitchell and John Farrell facilitated a conversation with four advocates. The conversations center around how communities have challenged monopoly power using many tactics, including a ballot initiative, antitrust litigation, and grassroots organizing. Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation. https://ilsr.org/articles/democratizing-power-event-ler154/
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Despite Promising Policies, Advocates Are Still Fighting for Community Power — Episode 153 of Local Energy Rules
30/03/2022ILSR’s Community Power Scorecard evaluates state policies based on how they help or hinder local clean energy action — but do the grades that states receive reflect the experience of advocates on the ground? For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Crystal Huang and Al Weinrub. Huang is a co-founder and worker owner of the People Power Solar Cooperative and the national coordinator of the Energy Democracy Project. Weinrub is the coordinator of the Local Clean Energy Alliance and a collaborator with the Energy Democracy Project. Farrell, Huang, and Weinrub discuss energy democracy challenges in California, the gap between policy and implementation, and how ILSR’s Community Power Scorecard could better represent and mobilize local organizers. Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation. https://ilsr.org/articles/promising-policies-community-power-ler153/
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The Legal Case for a Clean and Competitive Energy Sector — Episode 152 of Local Energy Rules
16/03/2022With Congress at a standstill, the prospect of federal action on climate and clean energy is looking bleak. The Center for Biological Diversity, however, is pursuing two alternatives to federal legislation: executive action and the courts. For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Jean Su, Attorney and Director of the Energy Justice Program at the Center for Biological Diversity. Farrell and Su discuss how President Biden could foster energy independence, boost the U.S. economy, and curb climate change through the Defense Production Act. Su then shares a landmark court ruling and its implications for antitrust enforcement. Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation. https://ilsr.org/articles/defense-production-act-srp-antitrust-ler152/
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Voices of 100%: Idaho Coalition Crafts a Data-Driven Clean Power Pledge — Episode 151 of Local Energy Rules
02/03/2022Amidst the competing challenges of the last two years, communities are still making ambitious plans to ditch fossil fuels. In 2020, Blaine County and Hailey, Idaho joined the now more than 180 cities and towns that have committed to 100 percent renewable energy. For this episode of our Voices of 100% series of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell talks with Blaine County Sustainability Program Manager Lynne Barker and Community Organizer Scott Runkel. They discuss how a 100 percent renewable energy commitment moved forward amidst a pandemic and the options that Idaho communities have to reach a goal like this. Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation. https://ilsr.org/articles/hailey-idaho-voices-of-100-podcast/
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Leaders in Morris, Minn., Create a Model for Rural Resilience — Episode 150 of Local Energy Rules
16/02/2022A group in Morris, Minnesota — a city of 5,000 — has put together the Morris Model: a partnership and strategic plan to model how rural communities can shine in areas like clean energy and community resilience. For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Troy Goodnough, Sustainability Director with the University of Minnesota Morris, and Blaine Hill, Morris City Manager. Goodnough and Hill were heavily involved in the Morris Model as it came together. They explain what it means to be a model community, how local and international partnerships have influenced their work, and what the future may look like for Morris. Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation. https://ilsr.org/articles/morris-model-minnesota-ler150/