April Staff Picks - Morgan Sarao

The artifacts I chose for April are thematically linked to the “just transition” framework, or the framework for transitioning the economy to renewable energy and prioritizing support for affected workers in the transition from emissions-intensive industries, along with communities experiencing disproportionate environmental injustices due to racist energy systems in this process. These artifacts were discovered through keyword searches on Google news, using the tags “Energy” and “Philadelphia”. The artifact titled “CITIES CONFRONT CLIMATE CHALLENGE: HOW TO MOVE FROM GAS TO ELECTRICITY?” discusses the challenges of implementing a just transition in Philadelphia due to the city's robust and aging infrastructure for natural gas, Philadelphia Gas Works’ (PGW) 1,600 person strong workforce, and the most vulnerable Philadelphians who are increasingly propping up the city's expensive gas grid as more affluent residents transition away from fossil fuels. It also provides examples of paths that PGW can follow in order to decarbonize, such as adding renewable natural gas to their fuel mix and creating a networked geothermal energy system that PGW would manage. The artifact titled “IN PENNSYLVANIA, A BIPARTISAN COALITION IS PUSHING TO FREE COMMUNITY SOLAR FROM BUREAUCRATIC RED TAPE” discusses the challenges to cooperative solar farming in Pennsylvania due to Pennsylvania (along with 29 other states) barring ownership of photovoltaic arrays by more than one entity. A bipartisan coalition of solar advocates, farmers, and lawmakers are attempting to undo this restriction, as solar co-ops make it so that expensive solar technologies can be democratized and installed in low-income communities of color that are disproportionately affected by climate change. Solar co-ops are also favorable for farmers who want to offset their high electricity costs by leasing their land to project developers. Although there is bipartisan support for solar co-ops in Pennsylvania, the opposition is equally as strong, if not stronger, as for-profit utility companies are worried about cooperative solar undermining utility profits. Both of these artifacts highlight the hurdles to a just transition, but simultaneously provide a vision for what equitable and healthy energy futures can look like once these barriers are overcome in Pennsylvania.