Access to electricity for many Native Americans is a challenge. For Native American Heritage Month, we thought it would be fitting to bring awareness to the challenges Native Americans face. The location of tribal reservations poses a significant challenge for Indigenous communities. A sizable percentage of Native American reservations are in rural parts of America. Moreover, the challenge lies in the financial expense of erecting a power grid in the middle of nowhere. Energy Transition on Tribal Nations: From Energy Insecurity to Energy Sovereignty, a piece published by Outrider, highlighted the struggles that many Native American communities in … Read More >>
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Hispanics Face Increasingly High Costs for Solar Power in the U.S.
For Hispanic Heritage Month, the public should be aware that Hispanics in the United States face challenges when it comes to affordable energy among all sources. One of the ongoing issues in the Hispanic community is affordable access to home solar panels, for example. PV Magazine published an article in 2020, “Investing in equitable access to solar energy for Hispanic communities,” which highlights the struggles Hispanic communities in the United States experience when accessing solar power. At the outset, solar panels are expensive to purchase. Moreover, many factors become exclusionary when acquiring solar panels, one of which is home … Read More >>
High Gas Prices Hit Diverse Communities Particularly Hard
All Americans are suffering at the gas pump. This is not new information for our readers. Prices had been slowly rising during the pandemic, but when Russia invaded Ukraine in February, prices skyrocketed. This month, gas was the most expensive in US history, breaking the record from 2008. High energy prices coupled with an unprecedented inflation rate have hit America’s diverse communities particularly hard. What can be done to provide these working families with some relief?
The solution is simple. We need our elected officials in Washington, D.C. to enact policies that encourage domestic production of oil and natural … Read More >>
CEC Celebrates Black History Month
This month, the Community Energy Center (CEC) joins Americans in celebrating Black History Month. Communities of color have long played an integral role in America’s energy workforce. Honoring the contributions Black Americans have made to the energy industry is an important step in studying and enacting policies that will continue to diversify the energy labor force. Recently, the Washington Informer published an article highlighting a STEM program doing just that:
“The STEM Careers Coalition — the first-of-its-kind national initiative supported by corporate leaders and based on schools by Discovery Education — connects students to a curated collection of careers … Read More >>
“Build Back Better” not necessarily better for communities of color
As we kick off the new year, the status President Biden’s “Build Back Better” (BBB) legislation is uncertain. West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin indicated his opposition in December although senators continue to deliberate about the path forward. What is certain, however, is that several of the provisions in the bill would adversely impact America’s communities of color. These proposed policies coupled with a resurgence of COVID-19 cases across the country would only further burden hard-working American families desperately trying to recover from a pandemic that just won’t seem to go away.
Last Fall, the Community Energy Center (CEC) detailed the … Read More >>
How do we ensure energy security in the U.S.? Pursue a diverse and affordable energy mix
by Jerry Silva, Former Senior Advisor at the US Department of Energy and Former Senior Advisor for Southern California Edison
Over my 30+ year career at Southern California Edison, I have had the unique opportunity to be in the front row seat in some of the industries major challenges and changes. Too often, however, I have seen these changes present an undue burden on our disadvantaged and minority communities. From the energy crisis, municipalization, divestiture of power plants, CCAs, traditional oil/natural gas balancing, cleaner energy, and the integration of renewables into the grid, these have all presented major changes in … Read More >>
Interview: Dr. Chris Miguel Wilkie aims to attain more Hispanic representation in STEM
The new CEO of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) believes diversity generates innovative and inclusive designs with unique perspectives
By Ricardo Sánchez Silva, @RicardoLoDice, NAHP Media Correspondent
Dr. Chris Miguel Wilkie spent more than four years as Managing Director of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) before knowing that he would become the organization’s new CEO, his ideal job, as he describes it, under circumstances that thrill him, and he would not even imagine seven years ago. However, in his previous position, he discovered something he appreciates and considers fundamental in his new role: the … Read More >>
Reconciliation Bill Unfairly Targets Communities of Color
As Congress continues to debate the components of a $3.5 trillion reconciliation package, the Community Energy Center (CEC) is focused on certain provisions that will inevitably have a negative impact on communities of color. Two such proposed components of the spending bill include levying a methane emissions tax on energy companies and implementing the Clean Energy Standard. While the CEC is in support of a diverse energy sector – including renewable and clean energy – we are not in support of enacting such policies at the expense of minority communities.
A methane emissions fee would result in a reduction of … Read More >>
Federal lease to the oil and gas industry is necessary for the economy of the population
Its ban would increase the use of coal and intensify CO2 emissions
Long-term prohibition or a significant reduction in the leasing of federal lands and waters to the oil and gas industry would have negative consequences for the population at various levels – such as environmental and economic. Regarding the first, it is estimated that the use of coal would increase by 15%, and CO2 emissions in the electricity sector would be 5.5% by 2030, according to an analysis carried out by OnLocation for API.
Regarding the economic impact, the communities benefiting from electricity services would be the most … Read More >>
SER-NATIONAL Is Making STEM a Powerful and Positive Path for Student Success
“For a long time, experts predicted young people would need to learn Spanish, Mandarin, and Farsi for communicating in the future with people all around the world,” says Ignacio Salazar, President and Chief Executive Officer of SER NATIONAL, the nation’s service, employment, and re-development network. “Now, the language being mentioned most is made up of just two numbers, ones and zeros, because it’s how we communicate with artificial intelligence or AI, the language of robots,” adds Salazar.
That statement summarizes best the outlook on the rapidly growing importance of technology in our global economy and why this is one of … Read More >>