Deep expertise in government affairs combined with our on the ground presence has built GRID Alternatives into a policy powerhouse! You can find us in the halls of Congress, in agency workshops, community meetings, and in your neighborhood:
- Advocating for energy equity legislation;
- Shaping programs that emerge from legislation;
- Implementing programs and initiatives once they’re created;
- Evaluating programs to ensure communities are benefiting; and
- Collaborating with environmental coalitions, utilities, industry groups, and other partners.
All of GRID’s policy efforts advance our main goal: ensuring that clean energy is accessible to all regardless of income, location and background.
Like our training and installation work, our policy efforts started in California and have expanded to Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Mississippi, New Mexico, New Jersey, Oregon, Virginia, Washington State, Washington DC, and the federal level!
GRID has played a key role in significant energy policy wins for people and planet. Our presence, alongside our partners, informed key decision makers about how to achieve economic and environmental justice through renewable energy. Read on for examples of our most current work:
- Federal:
- Ensuring billions of dollars are appropriately allocated to transportation electrification and clean energy from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law enacted in 2021.
- Advocating for critical climate legislation that builds on our successes shaping the Build Back Better Act.
- California:
- Helping to advocate for California Justice40 Act (AB2419), which calls to invest at least 40% of federal climate and infrastructure funding to communities that have been historically impacted by discriminatory and racist policies.
- Engaging with the Public Utilities Commission and other agencies on solar compensation, vehicle and building electrification, energy affordability, and other vital regulatory proceedings.
- Colorado
- Achieved a policy win that will direct millions of dollars in annual clean energy funds to start to remedy decades of harmful environmental impacts. We’re also preparing testimony in implementation hearings.
- Illinois
- Working to ensure that Illinois’ Climate and Equitable Jobs Act of 2021 is implemented effectively. This is the most environmentally ambitious, worker-friendly, justice-focused energy law and the first of its kind in the Midwest!
- Virginia
- Monitoring clean energy legislation and shared solar programs that dedicate 30% of their capacity to low- and moderate-income customers who will receive substantial savings on their energy bills, to ensure that the programs are effective and equitable.
- New Jersey
- Shaping and supporting the Clean Energy Equity Act, which will deploy onsite and community solar and storage for hundreds of thousands families negatively impacted by environmental harm while also providing for workforce development programs.
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Read about prior policy victories.