Russell Hicks

Since 2017, the POWER Interfaith Climate Justice and Jobs (CJJ) team has stood for People and the Planet, rather than unchecked profit that damages human communities and our earth. We fight against environmental racism and dirty energy, in favor of healthy green jobs and renewable, affordable energy.

Most recently, one of the CJJ campaigns pushed for environmental justice at the city level. We pressured the local municipal gas company to move away from natural gas, and called upon them to have public participation in budgeting for equitable electrification.  he team engaged with Pennsylvania (PA) State Senator, Nikil Saval over the course of a year to build bi-partisan support for an important climate justice bill. Through a deep community engagement process, community members directly shaped the Whole Home Repairs Bill, which allocated $125 Million in the PA State Budget for creating a one-stop shop for Pennsylvanians to repair and weatherize their homes.

This community engagement strategy exemplifies how to co-govern for the benefit of communities, a key principle of energy democracy. We’ve been able to secure the approval of up to $50,000 for habitability repairs and energy efficiency upgrades. The bill also allocates support staff to ensure applicants receive the help they need, and funds apprenticeship and training programs to build a skilled local workforce.

Despite the historical influence of the fossil fuel industry, the CJJ team was able to leverage people power in organizing for a Just transition: we gathered a coalition of multi-issue groups across PA, created opportunities/press conferences for sharing the stories of those most impacted, and invited community-members to have their voices heard across the state.