Who decides your electric bills, where power plants get built, and whether your community gets clean energy? Too often these decisions are made by unelected regulators, far from public view. We're changing that.
The transition to clean energy won’t happen without public participation. By organizing communities to engage in utility regulation and local energy policy, we’re building public power to accelerate the transition to clean energy while lowering costs and holding utilities accountable.
What is Energy Democracy?
Energy democracy is a social and environmental movement that shifts control of energy policy, distribution, and production from centralized, investor-owned corporations to communities and consumers. It expands public participation in energy policymaking while supporting a transition away from massive fossil fuel power plants to distributed, locally generated renewable energy—such as community solar and wind—and, ultimately, more community ownership of energy infrastructure.
Why Public Utility Commissions Matter
At the intersection of Third Act’s key issues of climate and democracy are Public Utility Commissions (PUCs): appointed or elected regulatory bodies with broad and far-reaching authority to execute energy policy distinct from legislatures, governors or federal oversight.
PUCs regulate monopoly power utilities, set rates for consumers, approve or deny new power plants, define state climate action plans, and enforce environmental justice.
The Power Up Communities! campaign is a coordinated nationwide initiative to organize direct citizen advocacy towards these state PUCs.
Third Act Working Group volunteers submit written and oral comments and attend PUC meetings to influence utility rate cases, oppose the permitting of fossil fuel infrastructure, advocate for reforming the grid interconnection process to solar, wind and battery storage projects, and oppose grid connection to massive energy consumers like data centers and crypto-currency facilities.
Our Tactics: How We Create Change
- File Written Comments Online: The primary method to submit comments on active dockets (such as cases evaluating large load interconnections or major utility rate hikes) is via the state’s regulatory portal.
- Attend Public Statement Hearings: Advocates do not need to be a formal party to participate; anyone can voice their stance on the record. Hearings frequently occur in-person regionally and virtually via online web-conferences or phone.
- Seek Formal Intervenor/Party Status: Advocates actively submit testimony, cross-examine utility witnesses, or challenge proposed fossil fuel infrastructure buildouts and rate filings, by joining with other climate organizations to seek formal intervenor or party status, typically represented by nonprofit public interest organizations based dedicated to litigating environmental issues.
Join us to shape our energy future. Explore the resources, actions, and stories on this page to learn how you can get involved.
