
Tools to Help Plan For and Fund a Just & Equitable Transition From Fossil Fuel Power Plants and Mining
Happening Now
Coal plants are closing in increasing numbers and earlier than scheduled times. Surprise announcements of plants closing before scheduled retirement are occurring. Although this is great news in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, utilities, regulators, legislators, and communities have often been caught off guard and do not have a plan nor the funds for a Just & Equitable Transition for communities.
As this transformation accelerates and more coal power plants and coal mines close, we need to assure the well-being of affected families and communities.
Just & Equitable Transition requires that we balance local interests, efficiencies, economics, and people as we pursue strategies to grow and clean our power systems.
How to Secure Transition Funds
Many communities, states, and the federal government are now taking action to plan for and mitigate the impacts this transformation has on communities. A strong lesson from the historical examples of coal transitions is there are difficult processes, and can often leave long-lasting effects on individuals, regions, and communities.
This site offers general resources on just transition as well as specific examples of testimony and legislation that attempts to ensure that transitions are just and equitable.
Among the lessons learned from communities already transitioning from coal power plants and/or mines is the importance of early inclusive planning for transition funds such as:
1) Community revenue replacement
2) Worker redeployment, retraining, and bridge funds
3) Reclamation and remediation
4) Sustainable economic development
5) Siting replacement power in or near affected communities
Case Studies of Just & Equitable Transitions
Examples of Legislation and Testimony Used for a Just & Equitable Transition
State
Legislation
Proceedings & Reports
Arizona
Arizona Corporation Commission Docket No.: E-01345A-16-0036
-
Direct testimony of Nicole Horseherder and Michael Eisenfeld
-
Post Hearing Brief of San Juan Citizens Alliance, T´O Nizhóni Ani, and Diné CARE (“Citizen Groups”)
Other links & articles
California
Public Utilities Commission
Order Instituting Rulemaking to Review, Revise, and Consider Alternatives to the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment.
Colorado
Proceeding: 16A-0231E
Proceeding title: Public Service Co of Colorado – Revised Depreciation Rates
Other links/articles
Iowa
Iowa Utilities Board on August 1, 2019, Docket RPU-2019-0001
On Behalf of Environmental Law & Policy Center and Iowa Environmental Council
Minnesota
PUC Docket No. E015/GR-16-664
In the Matter of the Application of Minnesota Power for Authority to Increase Rates for Electric Utility Service in Minnesota
Missouri
Montana
Webinar recording/materials from April 15, 2020 presentation
Presented by Patrick Barkey, Ph.D., the presentation explains the economic role of the Colstrip Steam Electric Station and similar power plants in terms of electricity generation and employment.
Docket No. D2018.4.24 RE: Colstrip. In the Matter of the Investigation of Federal Tax Reform Impacts on NorthWestern Energy’s Revenue Requirements
New Mexico
NM Public Regulation Commission
Regulatory Considerations on Debt Securitization Financing
South Carolina
Public Service Commission DOCKET NOS. 2017-370-E; 2017-305-E; 2017-207-E
Utah
Maine
Maryland
West Virginia
Wyoming
.jpeg)
Tribes
Presentations from JET Calls
Date
Presenter
Presentation
Organization
September 2020
Sam Wolf
September 2020
Claire Wang
Green Finance Center
University of Oxford
January 2020
Sara Chandler
Elemental Excelerator
October 2020
Albert Lin
Pearl Street Station Finance Lab
Donna Brutkoski
RAP
November 2020
RAP
July 2020
Nancy Seidman
Resources
Additional JET Info
-
Vibrant Communities and Landscapes – A Vision for California in 2050
-
Draft land use proposal for California sponsored by several community agencies and organizations including the Strategic Growth Council
-
-
Carbon Pricing Represents the Best Answer to Our Climate Danger
-
Washington Post Opinion (March 13, 2020)
-

-
Energy Infrastructure: Sources of Inequities and Policy Solutions for Improving Community Health and Wellbeing (Full report)
-
Interior Investing Over $260 Million to Help Create Jobs and Revitalize Land in Coal Communities
-
A Roadmap to an Equitable Low-Carbon Future: Four Pillars for a Just Transition
-
Making a Clean-Energy Future an Equitable Future (Blog)
-
RAP Electricity Regulation in the US: A Guide (Second Edition)
-
Process for Purpose: Reimagining Regulatory Approaches for Power Sector Transformation
-
President Biden Takes Executive Actions to Tackle the Climate Crisis
-
Workers and Communities in Transition: Report of the Just Transition Listening Project
-
The Need for Federal Support to Ensure Just Transitions for Local Energy Economies
-
How the Clean Energy Transition Affects Workers and Communities
-
What's a 'just transition' and can you switch to green energy without sacking coal workers?

Transformative Finance
-
-
This resource library highlights different tools to balance stakeholder interests and facilitate the transition away from uneconomic fossil fuel plants. These briefs provide utility stakeholders with more tools to manage financial transition to balance stakeholder interests, and can help states facing new economic realities embrace clean energy.
-
-
-
A global organization with projects and resources that focus on the intersection of finance and social justice. This link takes you to the various videos, articles and resources on Transformative Finance.
-
-
Using Finance to Make Energy Prosperity Work for Everyone
-
A webinar demonstrating how low-financing can help communities and utilities better transition through the closing of a fossil fuel plant. Presented by Climate Policy Initiative.
-
-
Steel for Fuel – How Utilities Can Replace Fossil Fuel Expenses With Renewables Earning Potential
-
The “steel for fuel” strategy is an increasingly appealing method for hitting the sweet spot on risk, return and scale for utility customers and investors. Article from GreenTech Media – December 2018
-
-
University of Pennsylvania Launches Initiative to Help Finance Climate-Resilient Cities
Finance 101
-
Securitization – In general financial terms, it is the process of taking an illiquid asset, or group of assets, and through financial engineering, transforming it (or them) into a security.
-
This article explains how this is used by utilities for its assets, and more recently, how utilities may use this financial tool to retire coal plants sooner. An example from Colorado: How refinancing could help retire Colorado coal plants sooner
-
-
Securitization a Useful Financing Tool for Transition From Coal
-
Legal considerations in utility stranded cost securitizations
-
Map of States with Some Form of Enabling Legislation for a ROC/RRB Financing
-
There are 21 states. ROC MAP
-
-
-
The SPOT for Clean Energy map supplies energy mix and energy policies for each state.
-
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
JET Examples Around the World
-
Kern County, CA
-
Stockton, CA
-
The Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED) is the country’s first mayor led guaranteed income demonstration. They aim to test a simple yet innovative solution to poverty and inequality.
-