4 GROUNDCOVER NEWS CLIMATE In September 2022, the World Meteorological Organization under the direction of the United Nations compiled and released the 2022 United in Science report. It outlined the complete failure of developed nations to uphold their pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Frighteningly, it reminded us that these failed emissions goals were not projected to reverse climate change or even stop it, but rather only to lessen global devastation. One of the notable conclusions of the report is that the ambition of emissions-reduction plans would need to be increased seven-fold to limit global warming to 1.5ºC (2.7ºF). In other words, our leaders have utterly failed to protect our planet and our future, and yet again, political inaction has caused the walls of climate disaster to close in on us further. Standing up to meet this existential challenge, the City of Ann Arbor has geared up its efforts to reduce emissions and increase sustainable practices, setting an ambitious goal to achieve 100% renewable energy powering our community by 2030. In Michigan, over a quarter of our emissions comes from generating power. In fact, despite our claimed slogan of Pure Michigan, we burn coal and methane to produce the majority of our electricity. In a single year, Michigan’s energy sector produces approximately 58.9 million metric tons (13 billion lbs) of the carbon dioxide equivalents that are currently warming our planet. Here in Southeastern Michigan, our energy production is particularly dirty. We purchase our electricity from DTE Energy, a state-protected, for-profit monopoly utility. DTE’s monopoly ensures that DTE decides how to produce the electricity we use to power everything from streetlights to electric vehicles to the heating and air conditioning in our homes. So how exactly does DTE produce this power? Are they really as green as they claim to be in their advertising? According to DTE’s 2021 fuel mix disclosure, 58% of DTE’s electricity comes from burning coal, the energy source that emits the most greenhouse gasses. ZACHARIAH FARAH Ann Arbor for Public Power Shockingly, less than 10% comes from renewable energies like wind and solar. These numbers make DTE one of the dirtiest utilities in the United States, sparking serious concerns about how Ann Arbor can transition to 100% renewables if we have no choice but to buy our power from DTE. We know we can’t count on DTE to make this ambitious transition. In October 2022, the Sierra Club released a report analyzing the energy transition plans of power utilities across the country. DTE received a failing F grade (14.6/100) for its completely inadequate climate commitments. Interestingly, the utility company with the highest grade is a public power utility in Oklahoma with a score of 99.5/100. Public power utilities are publicly-owned entities that don’t operate with the objective of generating profit for shareholders (like with DTE), but rather to provide reliable electricity for the greater good of the communities they serve. Because public power utilities are controlled by democratically elected boards, they are directly accountable to the people and businesses they serve. Overall, this accountability results in significantly better service. On average, public power utilities are cleaner, cheaper and more reliable than their private, investor-owned counterparts. A coalition of local organizations came together in 2020 to form Ann Arbor for Public Power. We believe that the only way to decarbonize our energy grid by 2030 is to take control from DTE and bring the decision-making back to the people of our city. Making our utility public opens up GET CONNECTED If you are interested in helping us achieve A2P2's vision of affordable, reliable and renewable public power in the city of Ann Arbor, please sign up to volunteer and receive their newsletter on the website: AnnArborPublicPower.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/a2publicpower Instagram and Twitter: @a2publicpower Youtube: @annarborpublicpower6388 Cartoon by Izzy Hedin-Urrutia several exciting opportunities. First, instead of paying our bills to DTE, we’d pay them directly to the public power utility. This means we’d get rid of DTE’s extractive corporate structure that siphons over $1 billion annually of our rate-payer dollars out of our grid. We’d also be able to streamline the process of installing solar panels on residential roofs, a proposal that DTE has been fighting for years because it threatens their corporate profits. Most importantly, we’d be able to decide exactly how we produce our electricity. We could invest in solar and wind power and fully eliminate our dependence on coal. All of this would be possible because we the people would elect those who control our utility. Creating a public power utility would certainly be transformative. This process is also realistic. A2P2 has FEBRUARY 24, 2023 A2P2 is working to bring real power to the people identified the legal pathway to acquire DTE’s grid and establish a municipal public power utility in its place. In fact, Ann Arbor’s right to do this is enshrined in the Michigan Constitution. To make this a reality, we need to build overwhelming support for public power in our city so that when we bring it to the ballot box we know that we will win. So far, A2P2 has been supported by thousands of hours of donated labor by volunteers across our community who believe that we must take bold climate action now. Editor's note: Chelsea, Lansing, Marshall, Niles and Wyandotte all have public power. There are more than 40 public power communities in Michigan and over 2,000 nationwide.
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