No matter what we look like, where we come from, or how much money we make, we all deserve the power to survive through the seasons.
But Power Companies are failing us.
Greedy power company executives and shareholders have chosen to neglect our communities and failed to keep the power on amid extreme heat, hurricanes, and wildfires.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
2005
Hurricane Katrina becomes one the most devastating hurricanes in the U.S. history. The utility company, Entergy, takes a page from the utility playbook: they target Black and poor neighborhoods of New Orleans in their negligence, and leave more than 2 million homes and businesses without power in the hurricane’s aftermath.
Source: Demos.org
2010
BP Deepwater Horizon spilled 60,000 barrels of oil per day into the Gulf of Mexico at its peak. More than half of BP’s sites for disposing of cleaned-up oil and waste are in communities of color. They damage our climate, and divide us by making sure that some pay a toxic price for their profits.
Source: Colorlines.org
2017
Hurricane Maria knocked out power in Puerto Rico for months. The power authority, PREPA, contributed to the death of ~3,000 people, mostly low-income elders, by failing to keep the lights on for months after the hurricane’s passing. Now, Puerto Ricans pay some of the highest electricity bills in the country, and American taxpayers are left with the bill for executives’ negligence. Take action >>
2018
A Pacific Gas & Electric transmission line sparks the Camp Fire, the deadliest fire in California state history. Executives want to point fingers, assign blame, and turn us against each other without making real change to prevent tragedy from happening again.
2020
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic compounded, utility companies across the country demanded more than $40B from struggling families having to choose between paying their electricity bill or buying groceries. Time and time again, power companies try to bully us into paying their shareholder debts..all while failing to provide the energy we need.
2021
Severe winter storms swept across the United States, hitting low-income communities of color the hardest. Power company executives failed to keep the heat on for neighborhoods in the South, killing nearly 6,500 people. From the Lone Star State to the Big Apple, their neglect and centralized power harms our communities’ survival and safety.
Source: Houston Chronicle, Texas Tribune
We’re done footing the bill for their greed.
REFOCUS is about putting power back in the hands of the people.
Together, we can reimagine energy for our communities.
When we prioritize the health of our communities and ecosystems in a decentralized energy system, we’re truly all better off together.
