2022 Conference Preview: Keynote & Consumer Champion Award
Posted on September 15, 2022 by Charlotte Shuff
Tags, Conference & Events
CUB will be hosting its 12th annual Energy Policy Conference, Energy Policy for the People, in Portland on October 14, 2021. Today we’re pleased to offer a sneak peek at our featured speakers: Oriana Magnera (keynote) and Silvia Tanner (Consumer Champion awardee).
Keynote Address: Least Cost/Least Risk Won’t Power The Future
This year’s keynote speaker is Oriana Magnera, Verde’s Energy, Climate, and Transportation Program Manager.
Utility planning and programs are developed through a least cost/least risk model. This approach puts risk and burden on environmental justice communities, especially low-income Black, Indigenous, Latin/x/e, Asian, Pacific Islander, and other People of Color communities. As we look to a cleaner and more resilient energy future, business as usual will continue substantial harm. Justice is only possible if we operate under an assumption of abundance instead of scarcity. There is enough to go around, but many systems, like energy, instead value competition that stacks the deck for only a few winners. To build a more just energy system, we must change our mindset to be more collaborative and creative. Moving from a least cost/least risk model to one that prioritizes benefits to marginalized communities is the first step. Our challenge is to redistribute and repower our grid in ways that are abundant and regenerative.
2022 Consumer Champion Awardee: Silvia Tanner
CUB is pleased to announce Silvia Tanner as our 2022 Consumer Champion.
Silvia Tanner is a Senior Energy Policy and Legal Analyst at Multnomah County’s Office of Sustainability, where she leads the County’s efforts to catalyze a just energy transition. Silvia started in utility regulation in 2012 as a law clerk for the Citizens Utility Board. She spent years working to advance clean energy through policy and regulatory advocacy at federal agencies and state utility commissions through the Pacific Northwest. At Multnomah County, Silvia combines that expertise with her lived experience and all she learns from other community leaders and advocates to advance an energy transition that lifts up, rather than penalizes, vulnerable populations.
A proud Latina and immigrant from Colombia, Silvia has a rich history of service to community. She works to improve the experience of people from systemically excluded backgrounds in the legal and environmental fields through her service in various boards and her enthusiastic mentorship of students and professionals of color. She also serves in the Oregon Department of Energy’s Energy Advisory Workgroup, the Energy Trust of Oregon’s Board of Directors, and the Black and Brown Parents Advisory Council at her son’s school. Silvia holds a JD from Lewis and Clark Law School and a BA in Economics from Portland State University. She is happiest being with her family, dancing, cooking, and running.
2022 Energy Policy Conference: Energy Policy for the People
The days of top-down energy policy are over. Oregon’s 100% Clean Electricity law and other major pieces of legislation passed in recent years have been led and developed by grassroots communities. Increasingly, community voices are showing up and seeking more pathways to get involved. But it’s clear that more needs to be done.
How do we make the regulatory process more inclusive, equitable, and accessible to communities and customers? What historic and systemic barriers need to be overcome to achieve these goals? How do utilities identify and address the concerns of the communities they serve? How do we evaluate community assets as well as hidden inequities in the energy system? What will it take to include energy justice and center human needs in the conversation?
About the CUB Energy Policy Conference
The CUB Energy Policy Conference is designed as a day of discussion, networking, and sharing diverse perspectives. This conference is ideal for community groups, regulators, advocates, utility representatives, attorneys, or those interested in our region’s energy industry.
Check out our Conference Website for updates on the conference agenda, registration, speakers, and more! You can also stay up-to-date about the CUB Conference by joining our email list (select “Policy Conference” in the form under Email Lists), and by following CUB Conference news on Twitter at #CUBCon22 or @OregonCUB.
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09/15/22 | 0 Comments | 2022 Conference Preview: Keynote & Consumer Champion Award