CUB Policy Conference Preview: Equitable Energy Policy: What Does Fair & Just Have To Do With It?

This October 13, CUB’s 7th annual Policy Conference – Utility Regulation 2.0: Empowering What’s Possible – will bring together energy policy stakeholders from around the Northwest to discuss a 21st Century energy utility regulatory paradigm.

John Holdren, science advisor to former President Obama, once identified three distinct choices regarding climate change: mitigation, adaptation, and suffering. While climate change is but one factor contributing to the damaging effects of Hurricane Harvey, absent passable mitigation and adaptation steps, we are sure seeing historic suffering across Houston. Unfortunately, and as is so often the case with natural disasters, vulnerable communities – especially low-income people, racial minority groups – disproportionately experience this suffering.

This is the real world backdrop for CUB’s “Equitable Energy Policy: What Does Fair & Just Have to Do With It?” panel at this year’s policy conference. What does a fair and just transition to new models for providing energy services mean for all Oregonians? How do we address the “have” and “have not” dynamics concerning access to energy efficiency and renewable energy strategies that proactively mitigate climate change? And what about the potential for a “have” and “have not” dynamic with regard to adaptation in response to volatile storm patterns and greater seasonal weather extremes?

How do we proactively strategize ways to avoid increased suffering and related public health impacts? This panel will certainly discuss such obvious issues as approaches to low-income bill payment assistance. But there are broader topics up for discussion as well. What more needs to be done to protect and empower economically vulnerable customers? How can we include all customers in resource diversification and other strategies to increase energy choices? And how do we accomplish this work? Are job training and workforce diversification important considerations when planning a fair and just energy system?

This is a challenging but critically important topic. With our expert panel – including Alan Hipólito from Verde, Maggie Tallmadge from Coalition of Communities of Color, Sam Baraso with Multnomah County Office of Sustainability, Tim Miller of Enhabit, and Sherrie Pelsma with Community Energy Project – I expect lots of tough questions and some really thoughtful answers.

Don’t forget – there is still plenty of time to register for the Conference and take advantage of early bird pricing, which ends on Friday September 29. Get your ticket today, and check out the conference website for agenda details, speaker bios, and more. CUB is still accepting conference sponsorship; for details, Contact Pamela White at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or (503) 227-1984 x10.

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