About Us

Vision

Our society's current energy sources and uses create unacceptable amounts of pollution and habitat damage, and are damaging to, or are an unacceptable threat to, human health and safety. These same energy sources and uses create energy costs that are volatile and often increase faster than inflation. This strains household budgets, causes economic downturns, drives away employment opportunities and generally are a significant source of economic hardship and distress, particularly for low- and fixed-income people. Deregulation and changes in technology are likely to exacerbate these problems. Already our "local utility" is owned by a foreign conglomerate, and experience has shown that what benefits there are in deregulation often go to large corporations only. Competitive pressure to provide low cost energy means that environmental considerations will be given less and less consideration.

People's Power & Light envisions a society that is instead increasingly reliant on energy efficiency and conservation, and the increased use of renewable energy sources in order to continuously reduce the environmental impacts of our energy consumption. Through conservation and efficiency we envision reducing the total energy costs for households, thereby improving our standard of living, particularly for low- and fixed-income households. We envision increased community control over the way we obtain and use energy, thereby better aligning our economy with our values, and in the process building and empowering our community.

People's Power & Light will take concrete, practical steps in realizing this vision. Our tools will be education, and offering energy products and services on fair and equitable terms. As opposed to simply profiting from increased energy consumption, we will work to reduce the economic and environmental impacts of energy consumption. People's Power & Light will be a self-sustaining, member-controlled organization that will have the strength and independence necessary to work in the best interest of our families and the environment. As members of People's Power & Light, our families will become shapers of the energy industry and not simply passive consumers. Our actions will improve economic fairness, protecting our environment, and build community. By bringing people together around the important issue of energy, we will have positive impacts in key areas that determine our quality of life:

Economic impact: People's Power & Light will help Rhode Islanders reduce their energy expenditures, so that our families can improve their standard of living. Less of our dollars will go to out-of-state energy companies, and more will stay here in Rhode Island to benefit us all.

Social impact: People's Power & Light will bring together people from many different backgrounds to achieve a common purpose, building community and civic-mindedness, and demonstrating the strength of communal action. People's Power & Light will also be a self-supporting base for consumer protection and education regarding energy issues in Rhode Island.

Environmental impact: People's Power & Light will reduce the amount of habitat damage, pollution and greenhouse gases created by our energy consumption. The less energy we use, and the cleaner our sources, the more we can reduce the enormous environmental toll energy use has on our health and planet.

Mission Statement

The purpose of this group is to organize cooperative action by Rhode Island energy consumers to promote the use of energy conservation and renewable energy to bring about the vision of reducing the environmental impact of our energy use, improving our energy security, creating a more equitable energy economy, and empowering small energy consumers. People's Power & Light will promote the transition to a sustainable energy system that does not rely on environmentally degrading power sources such as nuclear and fossil fuels.

In order to promote energy conservation and renewable energy, this group shall:

1) organize consumers to obtain services and products on favorable terms by increasing their buying power;

2) educate consumers and the public to promote conservation and the use of renewable energy;

3) educate policy makers and advocate for changes in the energy industry to promote energy conservation and the use of renewable energy

4) bring more control of our energy sector to our community and families

In keeping with the vision of enhancing our civic community, People's Power & Light will work with existing programs and organizations whenever it is prudent and effective to do so. In keeping with the vision of a more equitable energy economy, People's Power and Light will develop rates and prices that ensure equitable access for low- and fixed-income customers.

Standing Policy Positions

as approved by the Board.

· Renewables Portfolio Standard: All electricity suppliers in the state and nation should be required to obtain an increasing percentage of their electricity from renewable sources, with the ultimate goal of 20% of all electricity coming from renewable sources by 2020.

· Continue indefinitely the Systems Benefit Charge to fund conservation and renewable energy programs. However, these funds should be administered by an agency or organization whose sole focus are these programs only, and does not have any conflicts of interest with the goals of the programs. The process of allocating these funds should be open to public scrutiny and participation, and should utilize competitive selection of contractors, using performance based contracts, whenever possible.

· Prohibit transmission and distribution charges for on-site generation by renewable resources and clean co-generation. So called "non-by-passable charges" in the current rate tariffs discourage on-site generation using renewable and co-generation technologies because owners of on-site generation have to pay the utility transmission and distribution charges on electricity generated on-site, even though the electricity generated on-site was obviously not transmitted or distributed. To add insult to injury, another non-by-passable charge called the "transition charge" subsidizes the utility's unwise investments in inappropriate power plants, particularly nuclear plants.

· Require source and emissions disclosure on electric bills: Similar to nutrition labels on food, these labels would inform electricity consumers how much their electricity generation pollutes and from what sources their electricity comes.

· Continue and expand tax credits for investment in solar and wind energy systems. State income tax credits, sales tax refunds, and property tax exemptions for small-scale solar and wind systems should be expanded to include businesses, and be set at a constant rate until widespread adoption is achieved. The federal Production Tax Credit and accelerated depreciation for solar systems on businesses should be continued indefinitely.

· Current pollution control laws, such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, should be vigorously defended and enforced. This includes continuing protection of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge as a true refuge, and making permanent the moratorium of drilling in US Coastal waters where such moratoriums currently apply.

· Prohibit the transport of nuclear waste from power plants, and do not develop Yucca Mountain as a repository for nuclear wastes.

· Carry out an Environmental Impact Statement of the Cape Wind project, so that an informed decision regarding this project can be made. It should also be recognized that offshore winds are a public resource, and that some form of fair public ownership in the project, or fair compensation for the project, is appropriate.