Here is the Program!
Mayor Christopher Taylor: 5:30
A2Zero, Sustainable Energy Utility, City incentives,
and supporting climate policy locally
Heather Chen-Yost: 5:45 – 6:45
Citizens’ Climate Lobby
https://citizensclimatelobby.org/chapters/Michigan_-_At_Large/
Yousef Rabhi: 6:50
Washtenaw County Commissioner
Public Power, dynamics with
DTE, how to claim power locally
https://www.washtenaw.org/226/District-8
State Representative Morgan Foreman: 7:10
State climate and utility reform
https://housedems.com/morgan-foreman/
Heather Chen-Yost: 5:45 – 6:45
Citizens’ Climate Lobby
https://citizensclimatelobby.org/chapters/Michigan_-_At_Large/
Mayor Taylor: 6:45
A2Zero, Sustainable Energy Utility, City incentives,
and supporting climate policy locally
Yousef Rabhi: 7:00
Washtenaw County Commisioner
Public Power, dynamics with
DTE, how to claim power locally
State Representative Morgan Foreman: 7:15
State climate and utility reform
https://housedems.com/morgan-foreman/
See Good News Below!
Our Sponsors, Presenters, Tablers, Neighborhood Tech Adopters, Other Climate and Utility Reform Orgs, The Lowdown on DTE’s Business and Political Operations and Blowback to It, Our Volunteers, and Vendors
Sponsors:
Brought to you by Ann Arbor 3-28 Precinct Delegates with support from the Washtenaw County Democratic Party’s https://www.washtenawdems.org
Precinct Organizing Committee.
John Erdevig and Mike Victor
[email protected], with beaucoup help from Volunteers listed below*
Presenters:
Citizens Climate Lobby
https://citizensclimatelobby.org/chapters/Michigan_-_At_Large/
Heather Chen Yost, Pathologist at Michigan Medicine
Rep. Morgan Foreman, Michigan House District 33
https://housedems.com/morgan-foreman/
Mayor Chris Taylor, City of Ann Arbor
https://www.a2gov.org/city-council/mayor-christopher-taylor/
Yousef Rabhi, Washtenaw County Commissioner,
District 8
https://www.washtenaw.org/226/District-8
Tablers:
Michigan Climate Action Network https://www.miclimateaction.org/about_mican
The Michigan Climate Action Network amplifies, connects, and supports the people, organizations, and communities demanding urgent, bold, and equitable solutions for a just transition to a resilient future.
Michigan League of Conservation Voters
https://www.michiganlcv.org/about/
“We protect Michigan’s air, land, and water by activating voters to elect and hold accountable public officials who fight for an environment that sutains the health and well-being of us all.”
Ann Arbor Public Power
https://annarborpublicpower.org/
Neighbor Tech Adopters:
Mike MacGregor, Eric Meade, Allen Duncan, and others too numerous to mention
Other Climate and Utility Reform Orgs:
Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition
https://www.michiganej.org/about-us
Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association, https://www.2glrea.org/about
Enacting Community Solar, highlighting tech & installers, influencing Michigan Public Service Committion, DTE’s regulator
Political Antagonists:
Koch Brothers
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/27/koch-americans-for-prosperity-trump-tax-breaks
DTE greed:
DTE raises rates again this year!
https://planetdetroit.org/2025/01/dte-energy-rate-hike-michigan/#:~:text=Michigan%20regulators%20approved%20a%20$217,increase%20the%20company%20had%20sought
DTE applied for rate hike in 2022, when, at 18 cent/kilowatt hour, rates were already 15 cents above the national average! https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/09/01/detroiters-advocates-object-to-dte-rate-hike-amid-power-outages/65461647007/
DTE’s 2023 rate increase: 6.4%! https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/09/01/detroiters-advocates-object-to-dte-rate-hike-amid-power-outages/65461647007/
DTE gets:
9.9% guaranteed return on investment https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2025/01/23/dte-energy-electricity-rate-increase/77902658007/
What you get:
The highest rates in the Midwest, among the worst reliability in the U.S.
https://www.michiganlcv.org/michigans-power-outages-high-rates-and-unreliable-service-from-dte-and-consumers-energy/#:~:text=Michigan%20has%20some%20of%20the,Board%20of%20Michigan%20(CUB)
Execs get:
The CEO made over $9 million in 2023 https://www1.salary.com/DTE-ENERGY-CO-Executive-Salaries.html
$hareholders get:
$700 million to investors in 2022 https://www.bridgedetroit.com/dte-energy-cut-operations-to-meet-profits-months-before-power-outages/
Corruption:
Tens of millions in dark money donations https://planetdetroit.org/2022/12/public-frustration-with-dte-is-growing-so-are-its-charitable-and-political-spending/
Lobbying freebies:
Millions for dinners, trips, even apartments for lawmakers https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2024/09/23/michigan-lobbyists-lawmakers-freebies-tracking/73266394007/
Subversion of Democratic Processes:
Caught fabricating comments from “the public”
https://planetdetroit.org/2024/10/michigan-regulators-deny-dte-rate-hike/
A.G. Dana Nessel fought back! https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2023/07/13/ag-nessel-announces-dte-settlement-agreement
And now, for some good news:
The renewable energy revolution has already left the station worldwide, accelerated by governments, markets and technical innovation. Drumpf will fail at “drill, baby, drill!”
Solar and storage battery overtakes coal and gas worldwide.
U.S. added 50GW of solar added in one year as U.S. Energy Secretary gushes about gas. This is the 2nd record-breaking year. Along with storage battery capacity, these two technologies accounted for 85% of all new electric generating capacity. That is 50 nuke plants worth. China built about 5 nuke plants worth of renewable storage a week in 2024.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/solar-smashes-us-records-with-50-gw-added-in-one-year-as-trumps-energy-secretary-gushes-about-gas/
Thanks to the Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, domestic module manufacturing capacity grew an unprecedented 190% year-over-year, from just 14.5 GW at the end of 2023 to 42.1 GW at the end of 2024 and surpassed 50 GW in early 2025.
https://seia.org/research-resources/us-solar-market-insight/
Since 2017, China adds more solar than coal and gas generation.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/china-adds-more-solar-than-coal-and-gas-for-first-time-as-trump-slaps-solar-tariffs-77292/
New figures show the pace of its clean energy transition is roughly the equivalent of installing five large-scale nuclear power plants worth of renewables every week.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2024-07-16/chinas-renewable-energy-boom-breaks-records/104086640
China’s CO2 emissions have peaked or will in 20-25, say 44% of experts in survey.” The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/27/chinas-co2-emissions-have-peaked-or-will-in-2025-say-44-of-experts-in-survey
EV sales continue to explode.
Global EV sales are expected to continue to surge.
https://theevreport.com/january-2025-global-ev-sales-surge
Lithium batteries last unexpectedly long and will outlive the life of the car, are now recyclable with a vastly cleaner and less expensive process, and a half-ton battery might yield $5,000 worth of lithium, nickel, magnesium, etc. in 15 minutes.
https://www.the-independent.com/tech/battery-recycle-lithium-ion-environment-b2713723.html
EV sales market penetration in China reaching 50% of new car sales. Maker BYD is rolling out a battery that charges in the time it takes to pump gas. Seeking Alpha
Stock.https://seekingalpha.com/news/4423860-byd-is-sitting-in-the-pole-position-with-chinas-nev-penetration-rate-forecast-to-hit-75
Walmart, which already partners with ChargePoint, will expand into their own EV DC fast-charging network.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EXjpZg5k5o
VERY WATCHABLE AND TIMELY BACKGROUND:
“Climate Action in 2025 and Beyond: Creating a Resilient and Just Future in Michigan and Across the Globe,”recorded January 14, Rackham Amphitheatre, University of Michigan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMtNl4eDGHE&ab_channel=SchoolforEnvironmentandSustainability
Highlights:
UM vice provost for sustainability and climate action. Researches equity aspects of climate. Shalanda Baker, at minute 3:37: Record warm 2024 & “anomalies” – climate change is here, with economic, psychic impacts for evacuees. So, we must fight in those places we hold dear.
And see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=r5LAtR4-OAA&t=2s
Introduction of panelists: 7:14 to 12:25.
Minute 15:35 to 20:28: Dean of School for the Environment and Sustainability (“SEAS”) Dr. Jonathan Overpeck: Don’t lose hope. Investments made. Market “cost curves” favoring renewables over fossil.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Overpeck
Minute 20:43 to 24:11, Dr. Missy Stults, Research Assistant at Center for Sustainable Systems, Director of Sustainability and Innovation at City of Ann Arbor: Summarizes City of Ann Arbor’s A2Zero programs.
28:15 to 32:08, Community organizer with Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition Dennis Black: Collective action and community involvement are key to achieving a more just and equal world.
https://www.michiganej.org/team/dennis-black
32:43 to 36:28, Dr. Denise Keele, Michigan Climate Action Network: You are the majority. Act like it.
https://www.glef.us/keele.html
37:01 to 41:39, Geoffrey Henderson, Assistant Professor, SEAS, environmental policy and politics, author of How to Make Democracy Work Better in the Context of Large-Scale Environmental Problems: Paradoxically, citizen activism on climate rises when environmentalists are out of power, are in opposition.
https://seas.umich.edu/research/faculty/geoffrey-henderson
*Volunteers: On-Site —
Tom DuRussel-Weston, Lauren Sargent, Saski Dwarshuis, Jim Svensson
Publicity —
Card drop & canvassing by Mike MacGregor, Lauren Sargent, Saskia Dwarshuis, Diane Roulston, Jeanne Horvath
Potluck Extras —
Tom DuRussel-Weston, vegetarian chili; Jeanne Horvath, cheese & crackers; Rae Ann Weymouth, home baked goodies
Special Thanks Janet Cannon, Co-Chair, Precinct Organizing Committee
Sharon Simonton, Co-Chair, Membership Committee
Vendors:
C. Lyte Consulting Catering, owned by County Commissioner Crystal Lyte, District 2
