The Conduit Spring 2023

Spring,

Dear Friend,

I am excited to share with you the latest edition of The Conduit, our insider newsletter for our donors and partners.

Acadia Center’s mission has always been to advance bold, effective, clean energy solutions for a livable climate and a stronger, more equitable economy. We know that the impacts of climate change are not felt equally across communities. Low-income communities, both urban and rural, and communities of color have borne the burden of being disproportionately affected by environmental degradation and climate change.

In this issue, you will see how our work to create a sustainable future is inclusive and equitable. Each of our varied initiatives overlap in an important way: they all prioritize the real people impacted by the changing climate. Additionally, you can get a look at our Environmental Justice & Outreach Manager, Joy Yakie’s philosophy on Acadia Center’s environmental justice work.

Much of our work would be impossible without partnerships with communities, local non-profits, and cross-state coalitions that help inform us and build the movement. We are grateful to these partners as we are grateful to you, our donor community, who have enabled us to continue our mission to create a better and more sustainable world for all.

I hope that you find this edition of our newsletter informative and inspiring, and I thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Daniel L. Sosland, President

Spotlight on Equity and Environmental Justice

Acadia Center’s approach is built on the premise that support for climate and clean energy reforms will be best sustained and successful when they address the concerns of people in their daily lives – consumer needs, workforce development, economic growth, public health, and quality of life. It is imperative that these solutions prioritize the impacts a fossil fuel economy has imposed on environmental justice (EJ) communities across the region. Read on to examine how each of our initiatives prioritizes the environmental justice impact of our work.

Clean Power

To reduce pollution in the Northeast and beyond, Acadia Center helped to create and has championed a cross-state effort called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI is the nation’s first capand-invest program, capping emissions and forcing power plants to pay for pollution. RGGI has been successful in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from power plants 10% faster than the rest of the country while supporting economic growth of 13% more than the rest of the country. One key to RGGI’s success is investment of proceeds in clean energy and energy efficiency investments – nearly $6 billion has been invested in state and community priorities to date. However, the impact of RGGI on local communities, particularly environmental justice communities, has been criticized and not closely examined. Acadia Center undertook that effort with our recent 2023 RGGI Review Report. We evaluated whether pollutants had declined in EJ communities during the tenure of RGGI; and whether the RGGI proceeds had been invested in EJ communities. Acadia Center also conducted an extensive analysis of power plants to identify the plants posing the largest health risk to EJ communities. Through this analysis, Acadia Center has identified specific policy adjustments to the RGGI program that can improve air quality for EJ communities and allocate a larger share of the revenue generated by RGGI towards investment in these communities. Together with our coalition partners, we will utilize this report to advocate for these policy changes through the Third RGGI Program Review taking place this year.

Utility Modernization and Grid Reform

In 2021, Acadia Center introduced RESPECT, our modernized framework for state utility regulation and grid planning. Through this effort, we found that long-term utility planning processes ignore equity and environmental justice. This results in infrastructure projects that are overly expensive and inequitable in their distribution of costs and benefits, evident in the common issue of pollutiongenerating facilities being located in disproportionately low-income communities and communities of color. RESPECT works to ensure that energy system planning is aligned with equity and environmental priorities, in addition to climate and clean energy goals. The RESPECT framework proposes two major reforms: comprehensive energy system planning and the creation of independent planning entities to oversee the process, including stakeholder input and review. Comprehensive planning overseen by a neutral planning entity could lead to a broader suite of solutions that prioritize equity, rather than individual projects that support a utility’s financial interests but are disconnected from larger equity and environmental justice policy goals. By reforming energy system planning, states can improve equity and environmental outcomes, while reducing costs for consumers and accelerating progress toward our clean energy targets.

Energy Efficiency and Buildings

Prioritizing energy efficiency in our homes and businesses will not only yield returns for a climate-safe future but also plays a key role in solving inequities in the climate transition. In the Northeast, energy-inefficient homes contribute significantly to emissions that result from the housing sector. Tackling energy efficiency issues in housing situated in mostly low-income communities, immigrant communities and communities of color benefits the region by curbing GHG emissions, reducing energy burdens, and creating homes that are no longer public health threats for occupants. We work together with energy efficiency advisory councils and environmental and energy agencies to consider the plight of disadvantaged communities and the importance of equity and climate in program administration. We will continue to push for energy-saving incentives for the Northeast and press to ensure that people and communities are front and center in climate and clean energy transition considerations.

Transportation

In addition to the environmental impact of transportation emissions, which account for 43% of total CO2 emissions in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, there is a dire need to overhaul the transportation system from a consumer perspective. Outdated and underfunded transportation systems hinder economic opportunity and have devastating public health impacts. Worst of all, those economic barriers and public health costs overwhelmingly affect low-income communities, communities of color, and rural communities lacking mobility options. Our current transportation system has exacerbated inequalities, leading to cities segregated by highways and the emergence of transit deserts. Acadia Center believes it is well past time for investment in a just and sustainable transportation future. We will not relent in pushing for clean transportation options and equitable transit systems that put people first by advocating for investments in proposed budgets, speaking at hearings, providing comments and testimony on new bills, and working to ensure access to clean transportation technology for all people.

JOY YAKIE, AMY BOYD AND PAOLA MONCADA TAMAYO AT ACADIA CENTER’S 2022 RETREAT.

Front and Center on Equity and Environmental Justice

Statement by Joy Yakie

A clean energy transition without equity and environmental justice considerations is unjust and impossible. For the clean energy transition plans to be effective in the Northeast, equity and environmental justice must be front and center. Acadia Center understands the urgency of switching to clean energy and the role of equity and environmental justice provisions in this transition. This truth drives our research and state advocacy work as well as the clean energy efforts we push in our initiatives on transportation, buildings, utility, and power sector. We are invested in equity and justice forming the bedrock of our thought process.

We will continue to further our mission by seeking the voices of those in disadvantaged communities including low-income communities and communities of color, immigrant communities, and environmental justice communities. Acadia Center knows that environmental and climate bills and laws have a direct or indirect impact on environmental justice communities and other disadvantaged communities. We are committed to bringing attention to these impacts and holding rule- and law-makers accountable to the impacts. In our legislatures and policy efforts with policymakers, we will continue to amplify the messages of disadvantaged communities that continually bear disproportionate harm while also benefiting the least from environmental benefits and clean energy infrastructure in this transition. Most importantly, when provided a platform, we will continue to involve environmental justice groups as the issues may require.

“For the clean energy transition plans to be effective in the Northeast, equity and environmental justice must be front and center.”

Joy Yakie Environmental Justice & Outreach Manager