“Low-income and communities of color have suffered disproportionate harm from the fossil fuel economy. The new clean energy economy is an opportunity to address past injustices, but only with intentional policy decisions such as those outlined in the Equitable Solar Policy Principles,” said Denise Abdul-Rahman National Field Organizer NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program. “We envision a solar-powered future that invests in under-resourced communities, creates local, sustainable wealth, and adds to community resilience and a healthier future for all.”
The Equitable Solar Policy Principles is a living document that the Solar Equity Initiative will periodically revisit to best reflect its collective commitments. The coalition focused on transparency, ownership and accountability in developing the Principles. The goal of the Principles is to address past, current and future impacts of pollution on frontline and BIPOC communities, while moving communities towards a more resilient and just future that takes into account all of their needs.
“Our goal in releasing the Equitable Solar Policy Principles is to create a baseline that policymakers and advocates can use together in developing and advancing solar policy,” said Melanie Santiago-Mosier, Chair of the Solar Equity Initiative Policy Committee and Managing Director, Access & Equity at Vote Solar. “Solar is a powerful clean energy solution that, if implemented correctly, can address the inequities of our current dirty energy system. Our aim is that by following these Principles we can ensure success.”
The NAACP launched the Solar Equity Initiative in 2018 to increase solar installations in communities of color and to connect these communities to skills training for solar jobs, all supported by strengthened solar equity policies. The Initiative is centered on the civil, economic and environmental justice rights connecting communities of color and low income communities across the nation.
Solar Equity Initiative Members Endorsing These Principles:
- Environmental and Energy Study Institute
- Institute for Local Self-Reliance
- Midwest Renewable Energy Association
- NAACP
- PosiGen Solar
- RE-volv
- Solstice
- Solstice Initiative
- Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)
- Solar Stewards
- Solar United Neighbors
- Sunrun
- United Methodist Women
- Vote Solar
News item from the NAACP
