Jasmine Graham spoke with Kiana Michaan about energy justice on the inaugural episode of Climate with Kiana.
In this episode, Jasmine Graham, the executive director of Mid-Hudson Energy Transition, shares their perspective on energy justice, energy democracy, and just transition. We talked about the historical role of policy on energy systems and the importance of equitable energy solutions. Jasmine shared experiences and insights from their career journey working on clean energy in New York State and what brings them inspiration, hope, and joy.
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Jasmine Graham spoke at the Third Thursdays series about community choice aggregation.
The federal government has prioritized community engagement and partnership as an essential part of Justice40, and many IRA funding opportunities highlight centering communities in the development and implementation of programs. What does authentic, inclusive, and meaningful community engagement look like? We’ll examine equitable community empowerment and highlight tools like the community engagement spectrum and resources from EPA, DOE, and others. These case studies will highlight successes - and missteps - in engaging with communities beyond "checking the box" and help states, communities, and their partners to develop energy plans, decarbonization strategies, and program proposals.
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See more here. Jasmine Graham spoke to Bard College's Masters in Environmental Policy (MEP) students about New York's Climate Act.
Graham examines New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) justice provisions around disadvantaged communities and equity frameworks. Jasmine also discussed avenues of participation for policymakers, as well as current policy proposals and New York State initiatives The conversation on energy justice centered around four pillars: Equity, Affordability, Access and Participation. “You want to have equity in the distribution of benefits and burdens. You want to have affordability of energy costs. You want to have access to opportunities and technologies, and you want to make sure that communities have participation in decision making. Those paired with some of the long-standing kind of environmental justice principles are the values that folks should be using when designing good policy. But, it's not that simple.” The discussion also highlights the need to move beyond simply seeking access and affordability and towards a framework of ownership, self-determination, and reparations for past harm: “We do want to access, and that is a fair way to characterize it. But we also want ownership. We don't just want access to community solar. We don't want just a 10% bill discount. We want to own our own solar. We don't want to just participate in the existing processes, we want self determination [...] We don't want just an energy bill that is manageable. We actually want reparations. We want repair for the harm that has been done, and through the line of all of this is that we want equity, and in wanting equity you need to take into account the harm of the past.” Graham left Bard students with many takeaways: the importance of stakeholder engagement with community members may very well have been one of the most important: “Ultimately we want to get to this place where we are actually deferring to the communities where we're going beyond inserting ourselves and where these communities are able to self-govern, where they can have community driven, decision making, and where they are empowered to represent themselves.” Watch the full video here. Jasmine Graham spoke at the 2022 Alliance for Clean Energy (ACE NY) conference.
How Can We Energize Building Efficiency & Decarbonization to Meet the Climate Law?
Jasmine gave a 30-minute presentation on "Energy Justice Considerations in Decarbonization Policy."
In April 2019, New York City enacted the Climate Mobilization Act. The Act’s centerpiece is Local Law 97 (LL97), first-of-its-kind legislation that places limits on GHG emissions from large buildings starting in 2024 and tightening over time, with significant annual fines for noncompliance. The law set clear requirements for the first compliance period (2024-2029), but many crucial details are still in development for later periods starting in 2030. This session will explore progress, challenges and opportunities with leading NYC experts at the center of LL97 implementation.
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Jasmine Graham was invited to speak to an undergraduate Energy Policy class at Purchase College in New York.
Speakers:
Katrina Wyman (Introductory Remarks), Sarah Herring Sorin Professor of Law, New York University School of Law Katie Bergfeld, Branch Chief, Building Performance & Enforcement, Data & Benchmarking Division, Department of Energy & Environment Mark Chambers, Senior Director for Building Emissions and Community Resilience, Council on Environmental Quality, Executive Office of the President Jasmine Graham, Energy Justice Policy Manager, WE ACT for Environmental Justice Frank Oswald, Building Commissioner, City of St. Louis, Missouri Ben Silverman, Manager, Policy Design and Implementation, Institute for Market Transformation Marc Zuluaga, Co-CEO & Co-Founder, Cadence OneFive Danielle Spiegel-Feld (Moderator), Executive Director, Frank J. Guarini Center on Environmental, Energy and Land Use Law Jasmine Graham participated in a fireside chat with NYSERDA’s Chief Finance Officer (CFO), Pam Poisson, in honor of Women's History Month.
Jasmine Graham was the keynote speaker at National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Black Employee Resource Group MLK Day Celebration.
Jasmine Graham was a guest lecturer for an environmental law and policy undergraduate class at the University of Rochester.
Video available here.
Moderator Rory Christian, Commissioner, New York State Public Service Commission Panelists Adriana Espinoza, Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice, NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate Policy Jasmine Graham, Energy Justice Policy Manager, WE ACT for Environmental Justice Jamal Lewis, Director of Climate, Energy and Health, Green & Healthy Homes Initiative Casey Weston, Environmental Policy Analyst, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene |
AuthorJasmine Graham is an energy justice expert, environmental policy analyst, and social justice advocate. Archives
November 2023
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