OCTOBER 6, 2023 PUBLIC POWER Public power is climate action SCOOP STEVENS Groundcover contributor Whether or not our power is controlled by the public through democratic institutions is the existential crisis of the day. This was the gist of the Public Power is Climate Action meeting held at the University of Michigan SEAS Dana Building on September 17. The speakers were: Seth Berry (Pine Tree Power Campaign and Former State Rep., Maine), Michelle Deatrick (DNC Climate Crisis Council and Washtenaw County Climate Crisis Chair), Yousef Rabhi (Washtenaw County Commissioner and Former State Rep., Michigan) and Jeff Irwin (State Senator, Michigan). A century ago, DTE Energy was granted the privilege of supplying energy to the public in Michigan. It has now become inefficient, destructive of the environment and racist, said Commissioner Rabhi; therefore this privilege needs to be revoked. This will not be easy to do. The first step is to believe that it can be accomplished; this was emphasized by Sen. Irwin. Public ownership of power has now become a movement, with Ann Arbor being the focus point in Michigan. If this is enacted, the City of Ann Arbor will be purchasing the electrical energy infrastructure from DTE Energy. This past week, Ann Arbor released an initial study it had done on the feasibility of public power with the recommendation that an additional feasibility study must be done to determine how much it will cost to acquire what it needs from DTE. From there, the Ann Arbor City Council can choose to begin the process. but if it doesn't, there will probably be a ballot proposal, possibly in 2025 or 2026. Even if Seth Berry, Michelle Deatrick, Yousef Rabhi and Jeff Irwin, pictured left to right. Panel was moderated by Greg Woodring (not pictured). Photo credit: Lisa Querijero the council initiates the process, voters would still have to approve a referendum on the contract to acquire DTE assets. The advantages of public ownership of power are numerous; there will be a faster transition to renewable energy, more reliability, greater economic opportunity and, in the long run, lower utility costs. Panelists said that the next step towards the public ownership of power is to get the University of Michigan Board of Regents on board with the public power movement. Their influence could tip the scales in favor of public ownership of power and solving the climate change crisis. GROUNDCOVER NEWS 7 The struggle continues — free our energy! We once said “one struggle, many fronts.” The digital age has turned our lives into “one struggle, too many fronts.” We have lost our focus on the struggle for freedom in its many dimensions to a narrower focus on the endless work of compliance culture with its digital dimension and the promise of techno supremacy for some. This process uses up our time. Everyone is in a hurry because the next demand is calling us to stay busy, or at least look too busy to change course from wasting our time to using our time more creatively. So the United States is once again asking Saudi Arabia to raise oil production and help burn up all available oil as fast as possible. Investors love their monopoly on our energy supply. Can we break free and produce plentiful low-cost energy? The sun is laughing! Wind and water are also calling us forth. International Day of Peace on September 20 and 21 had important sessions on “public energy.” Let’s engage with AnnArborCommunityCommons.org and AnnArborCoalitionAgainsttheWar.org and free our energy supply from the oligarchs of energy wars. Ann Arbor for Public Power is worthy of our attention due to the need for publicly run renewable resources. The earth is smiling at us.That could inspire us to smile at ourselves, a good habit to promote positive struggle, as reality converges in a way that brings new worlds into view. that is happening now as we detach from our illusions and experience the natural flow of “Timeless Time.” Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, was also the deadline to submit to this October 6 edition of Groundcover News. Today is a good day to discover ourKEN PARKS Groundcover vendor No. 490 Nothing is what you think it is; the domination of conceptual thought usually separates that consciousness from a more complete awareness sometimes referred to as “the all good expanse of primordial purity and the Clear Light of the Void.” I first saw those words in Walter Evans-Wentz’s early translations from the Tibetan original teachings. There are more translations available now as Tibetan meditation masters gain a following worldwide. Our body, speech and mind complex can thrive in many contexts of the physical world in history. Look at the “Passage of Time” published by the Independent Media Institute’s Human Bridges project. The vastness of hominin prehistory is changing the story of who we are. Stone tool technology and the invention of writing took eons to evolve. Get ready for the awareness breakthrough selves anew and prepare for the climate change of our lifetime. “Tell the Truth'' as Extinction Rebellion declares. Your imagination wants more free play as the work before us becomes clear and we hear the call to do the necessary work and use our power responsibly. The struggle continues until the end of time — even the death of a universe may not be the end of the struggle to free all beings from attachment to ego-clinging. Persevere until the great going beyond that leaves nothing behind. October 8 I will celebrate my 81st birthday. I think on this day we should celebrate the Day of Che as the main focus and honor all 80-plus-year-olds. We can develop our visionary potential and put it to work. For example, Che’s quote, "We are realists, we dream the impossible.” We can be reborn anew!
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