Local Energy Rules

Discover how Alaska's electric co-ops and the Cook Inlet gas crisis laid the groundwork for the state's community solar policy.

Members of New Hampshire's resident-owned communities are saving money through community solar.| Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/community-solar-in-nh-rocs-ler235/| Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | 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!

California's Senate Bill 332 aims to address the immediate harms of the investor-owned utilities while also investing in a resilient future.| Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/CA-utility-reform-ler234/ Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, […]

Less than 700 yards is all that separates Prairie Island Indian Community homes from the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant and its growing stockpile of nuclear waste.For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with community members and experts to learn more about the history of Prairie Island Indian Community and the construction of the nuclear plant next door.This is part one in a special three-part series, Seven Hundred Yards: How a Native Nation Resisted the Nuclear Plant Next Door. The series examines how powerful players sited the nuclear plant, and its waste, next to Prairie Island Indian Community, and how Tribal members and their allies have stood up for their rights — in the process, growing a clean energy future for the community and Minnesota as a whole.Listen to the full episode and explore more resources here — including a transcript and summary of the conversation. Also check out the accompanying StoryMap as part of ILSR's 50th-Anniversary Racial Justice Storytelling Project.Note: This episode discusses events related to the United States' genocide and killing of Indigenous peoples. Listen with care.

Mariel Nanasi discusses New Energy Economy's efforts before lawmakers, regulators, and courts to protect consumers from the nefarious plans of New Mexico's investor-owned utilities.… Read More

Christina Hollenback and Joseph McNeil discuss how SAGE Development Authority has created a model for community-led wind development and why community ownership is so important to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.… Read More

Gregory Woodring discusses the ways that investor-owned utility DTE Energy has failed Ann Arbor customers and how the city could take over and provide better service.… Read More

Dorrie Bruggemann and Bill Powers discuss how a publicly-owned San Diego electric utility would be more supportive of distributed solar, offer lower rates thanks to that solar, and what it will take to bring the municipalization decision to voters.… Read More

Charlie Fisher discusses the upcoming Salt River Project election and how clean energy advocates could flip the public utility's board and reverse anti-solar and anti-democratic policies.… Read More

Michael Murray explains the many capabilities of smart meters, his critique of a Rhode Island utility proposal to expand advanced metering, and how state and federal regulators can establish best practices for fairness and data access.… Read More

Chris Rauscher explains the benefits of coordinating distributed energy resources, how residential solar and storage customers have saved their neighbors from blackouts, and why every utility could be offering a virtual power plant program.… Read More

Pouya Najmaie discusses the strengths and weaknesses of Minnesota's community solar program, its many regulatory and legislative changes over the years, and how utility Xcel Energy has found a new way to try to suppress distributed generation.… Read More

In this episode from the archive, Howard Crystal and Liz Veazey discuss a petition to the Federal Trade Commission and why electric utility practices require federal investigation. ILSR first published this interview in June of 2022.… Read More

For this milestone 200th episode, John Farrell reflects on 10 years of making the Local Energy Rules podcast, shares what he has learned from over 200 guests, and answers some listener questions.… Read More

Matt Flaherty discusses the barriers to home energy upgrades, how inclusive utility investment is a scalable solution that addresses many of these barriers, and what it will take to get utilities on board with on-bill financing.… Read More