A meeting held on Oct. 27 looked at what it would take to transition investor-owned Rochester Gas & Electric (RG&E) to a public power utility.
The meeting was held by Rochester-based Metro Justice, a grassroots organization dedicated to social, economic, and racial justice. RG&E is a subsidiary of Avangrid, an investor-owned utility.
Meeting attendees included Mary Lupien, a Rochester City Councilmember, Mohini Sharma, Executive Director of Metro Justice, and Michelle Wenderlich, Organizer and Policy Specialist for the Rochester for Energy Democracy Campaign at Metro Justice. A number of Rochester residents attending the meeting voiced frustrations with RG&E.
Metro Justice states on its website that it is fighting for a public power utility based on five principles of energy democracy: affordability; accountable, democratic governance; local economic benefit; green energy; and workers’ rights and a just transition for energy workers.
The group notes that a key step will be to facilitate and produce a feasibility study that can answer technical and logistical questions regarding long-term sustainability “for how to implement our principles in a public utility.”
There would also need to be a successful referendum in which Rochester residents vote for the formation of a public utility “based on our principles. We can then initiate the formal process of replacing RG&E with our publicly owned utility,” the group said.
At the meeting, Sharma urged attendees to participate in a call-in day on Oct. 28 to the mayor of Rochester and Monroe County’s Executive and urge them to commission and fund an implementation study as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Lupien committed at the meeting to support efforts at the Rochester City Council to commission and fund an implementation study.
San Diego City Council Approves Contract to Study Public Power
In other recent municipalization news, the San Diego City Council on October 3 approved a contract for a consulting firm to examine the feasibility of the California city transitioning to a public power utility.
The contract approved by the San Diego City Council is with NewGen Strategies & Solutions LLC.
The American Public Power Association offers a number of resources related to municipalization on its website.
