Enough is enough! We can no longer tolerate our elected officials supporting utilities who deny us our rights.
If you believe that monopoly utilities should not be able to buy and influence their way towards bad policies, that our elected representatives should be independent from private utilities, and that politicians should shape energy policy to benefit all ratepayers and the public interest, please urge your state representatives to declare their independence by signing the “Represent Us, Not Utilities” Pledge:
To maintain independence from monopoly utility interests and to avoid the perception of undue influence on my positions concerning state energy policies, I will take no campaign contributions from utility corporations, their Political Action Committees, lobbyists and executives.
Want to help spread the word? Click here to print out a pledge for your local candidates to sign. Scan it or take a picture and email it to us at: pledge@solarunitedneighbors.org.
Additional resources
UtilitySecrets.org, (a joint project of the Energy and Policy Institute and the Center for Media and Democracy, tracks electric utility anti-solar lobbying and campaign contributions. These include:
- Report on Utility Campaign Against Rooftop Solar
- Documents Reveal Edison Electric Institute Campaign Against Solar
- Paying for Utility Politics: How ratepayers are forced to fund the Edison Electric Institute and other political organizations
- Information about American Electric Power Lobbying
- Information about Arizona Public Service Lobbying
- Information about Berkshire Hathaway Energy Lobbying
- Utility Anti-Solar Lobbying in Florida
- An Energy and Policy Institute analysis of the Republican Governors Association, Republican Attorneys General Association, Republican State Leadership Committee, Democratic Governors Association, Democratic Attorneys General Association, and Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee found over 70 utility holding companies and subsidiaries contributing to anti-solar lobbying groups for a total of $36.4 million from 2008 through 2017.
- An Energy Policy Institute analysis of spending by Florida utilities Duke Energy and Florida Power and Light.
Rooftop Solar Dims Under Pressure From Utility Lobbyists – The New York Times reports on efforts by utilities to slow the development of rooftop solar.
1. Source: Center for Responsive Politics; www.opensecrets.org. To find out if state candidates and elected officials in your area are taking money from utility interests, go to www.followthemoney.org.