Urging Equitable Distribution of Electricity Grid System Costs Committee: Energy Resolution: 5-1111 1 . WHEREAS, The National Drganiaation of Black Elected Legislative 2. Women understands that electricity runs our economy, and it powers our homes, 3. businesses, industries, and the smart technologies and innovations that enhance our 4. quality of life: and 5. WHEREAS, the United States needs a diverse supply of safe and reliable electricity: and WHEREAS, the domestic development of alternative energy sources should be 3. concurrently bene?cial to our country?s enviromnent and to our country?s economy; and WHEREAS, it is essential that the 1.1.3. ?nd ways to assure universal affordable access 11. to a diverse renewable energy portfolio to prevent against the recurrence of 12. environmentally racist policies and practices including disproportionately high rates 13. of exposure to pollution and toxic waste that have plagued Black, Hispanic, and other 14. minority communities for decades; and 15. WHEREAS, a major recent development in the push for a more diverse energy 15. portfolio is the increasing availability of rooftop solar installations, but the costs of installing and maintaining them are extremely high, leaving them beyond the reach of 13. most low-income and ?tted-income consumers and thus inaccessible to many Americans, particularly communities of color; and El}. WHEREAS, compounding this situation, many states? current policies regarding on- 21. site solar power reinforce historic economic and racial inequities in the energy space by 22. allowing those who can afford to install solar panels to push their electric bills 23. to zero by selling power back to the utility and shifting the costs for maintaining the 24. electric grid including power lines, poles, meters and other infrastructure onto the 25. backs of those who cannot afford solar installations, 25. WHEREAS, studies by state public service commissions in California and Arizona have found that rooftop solar rate are regressive in that they increase the 23. likelihood that low- income customers will see their energy bills rise as higher-income 21}. customers see theirs fall', and WHEREAS, African American families, which already devote more of their income to 31 . energy than other demographic groups, cannot afford to devote yet more income to 32. subsidize wealthier households with solar installations; and 33. BE IT RESOLVED that the National Organization of Black Elected 34. Legislative Women will continue to support the deployment of clean energy 35. sources, including solar and wind power, as long as pricing structures are fair and 3E. spread the cost of grid maintenance and related items equally among renewable and