Hello friends,
2026 is off to tumultuous start. In the early hours of January 3rd, the President of Venezuela was kidnapped by US special forces. This was a brazen act and widely seen as illegal under both international and domestic laws. It resulted in the deaths of dozens of Venezuelans. While multiple and conflicting reasons have been given as to why this happened, it's clear that control of Venezuelan oil is central to these attacks. In fact, within a week, the Trump Administration invited two dozen oil and gas executives to the White House to discuss how they were going exploit Venezuela's oil reserves, with President Trump insisting that, "[t]he plan is for them to spend, meaning our giant oil companies will be spending at least $100 billion of their money, not the government's money. They don't need government money, but they need government protection and need government security that when they spend all this money, it's going to be there. So they get their money back and make a very nice return. The plan is for them to spend at least $100 billion to rebuild the capacity and the infrastructure necessary."
Regardless of whether or not this "plan" will work - even the invited oil executives were skeptical - it's indicative of the extractive logic of an economic system based on fossil fuels. An economic system that sees our lives, our land, and our labor as forfeit, if we happen to live near something the rich and powerful want for next quarter's balance sheet. It's a system that cannot and could never justify it's existence, especially now that solar and wind are cheaper and easier to deploy. Despite repeated attacks on wind and solar by the Trump Administration, 92% of the new power capacity in the US was from renewables last year.
Our cooperative, and others like us across the country, are using this shift in technology to build the people power necessary to turn this economic system on its head. We can build a distributed and decentralized energy system that puts people over profits. When our co-op completes Ohio's first community-owned solar array this year, we will be keeping dollars out of the pockets of bad actors like FirstEnergy and Exxon Mobil. That money will come back to us and to our cooperative, so we can continue the fight for an energy system where community control is the norm and reckless invasions for resources are impossible.
A hopefully familiar graphic showing that community-owned solar is just the tip of the iceberg in the fight for Energy Democracy
We have some updates on some important wins, ways to stand in solidarity with others across this country, and some events below for different ways you can help us build that future.
Stand in Solidarity with Minneapolis
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was another example of how fossil fuels are prioritized by the current administration. Among many other cuts and rollbacks, that bill dramatically curtailed important tax credits for solar and wind while giving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a budget of $85 billion - more than all other law enforcement agencies combined. ICE has used that funding to terrorize communities all across the country, with a targeted operation in Minneapolis over the last few weeks. It's been heartbreaking to see the destruction caused by ICE to the working people and communities of color in Minnesota. Importantly, Minnesotans of all walks of life have been fighting back with some tragically losing their lives to try and keep their neighbors safe.
I encourage folks to read our friends in Minneapolis Cooperative Energy Futures' statement on Instagram and get involved locally. IRTF Cleveland is a good place to start!
Win for Net Metering!
On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, AEP, an investor-owned utility like FirstEnergy, submitted a rule change with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO). This rule change would alter how net metering works in Ohio, reducing the benefits of solar for residents and businesses. Our co-op uses these rules and it would make it harder for our cooperative to build community-owned solar! Despite it being a holiday weekend, member-owners of CSC and hundreds of others across Ohio flooded the PUCO with testimony. AEP's rule change was denied!
This is a big win and the first of many for this coming year!
HB 303 - Community Energy Updates!
Last year we saw HB 303, the Community Energy pilot program bill, make it the farthest it's ever gone in Ohio, passing the Ohio House of Representatives by a huge margin - 77-8! Community Energy will make it easier for our cooperative to build solar and provide more benefits to member-owners each and every month on their electric bill. Like the win at the PUCO, this was driven by grassroots action and a broad coalition of environmentalists, union workers, farmers, and community members.
In the coming weeks, HB 303 will be introduced into the Ohio Senate committee. We have to keep the pressure up! Our friends at Solar United Neighbors are pushing for the passage of city and county resolutions in support of HB 303. These resolutions are powerful signals to elected officials at the state level to pass Community Energy this year!
If you have an existing relationship with a local elected official or government staff person we need you! Roger Sikes, member-owner of CSC and Policy & Advocacy for SUN, wrote up a step-by-step process for passing these resolutions. If you do decide to reach out, let Roger (rsikes@solarunitedneighbors.org and/or 216-894-3558) and me know so we can help coordinate actions across the state!
Member-owners and supporters of Community Solar in Columbus in 2024
Solidarity,
– Craig, your Energy Democracy Organizer
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