Public Grids

YouTube video by City of Winter Park Power Shift: Winter Park's Electric Transformation

Shoutout to the people and the City of Winter Park, Florida, who are celebrating 20 years of Public Power!

Check out this video they made to celebrate this huge anniversary of taking back control of their grid in a democratic process!

The Summer of Shutoffs By isaac sevier and Winston Yau

The summer of shutoffs is here. The left’s answer must advance climate, affordability, and managed decline together.

"Public power can begin to build us out of this deep contradiction between the well-being of Americans and the deregulated system."

@sevier.io with Winston Yau @cplusc.bsky.social:

Trump imposes sweeping 25% steel and aluminum tariffs. Canada and Europe swiftly retaliate | CNN Business President Donald Trump imposed sweeping 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imported into the United States Wednesday, a policy aimed at leveling the playing field for US manufacturing but a move th...

The Canadian tariffs on electricity exports to the U.S. are part of the broader tariff fight and are paused for now.

"Trump backed off his threat to double the steel and aluminum tariff rates for Canada after Ontario Premier Doug Ford agreed to pause surcharges on electricity for US customers."

The future is public, and it is unionized.

Line graph. X axis time from 1940 to today. Y axis % approve of labor unions. Line fluctuates between 50% and 80% approve over the entire time series, currently at 70%.

And people in the US believe in the power of labor unions to improve our lives, even though millions of Americans don't live in households with a union member.

The future only gets better if we collectively stand up against the oligarchs and fight together.

news.gallup.com/poll/12751/l...

Right here at home, workers are leading the way.

"We urge elected leaders of both parties to move this critical legislation forward so that all workers have the chance to stand together and build better lives for themselves and their families,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler.

YouTube video by PSIglobalunion PSI - We are the workers who make society happen.

"We're the utility workers keeping your lights on and the water flowing."

Today as more announcements roll out from the U.S. federal government about union-busting and privatization, know that there is a global movement for public ownership from workers worldwide. @psiglobalunion.bsky.social

After this Ford transitions into his closing remarks and into Q&A. I'm writing this on a slight delay because i had to relisten to understand what his comments meant. The additional 25% tariffs from Ontario are _conditional_ and do not go into effect without a U.S. action first that triggers them.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford warns U.S. "Today i'm writing to every Senator, every Congress man and woman, and the governors from NY, MI, and MN telling them tariffs persist" and measures be escalated if there are further U.S. tariffs. This includes an additional 25% tariff & shutting off electricity.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces proactive plans:

"If the Trump Admin follows through on any more tariffs, we will immediately apply a 25% surcharge on the electricity we export. We will not hesitate to shutoff their power as well. I am encouraging my fellow Premiers to follow suit."

"We also need to be ready to dig in for a long fight... That includes surcharges or outright restrictions on the critical minerals and electricity we supply to the U.S."

U.S. based businesses will be barred from bidding on any provincial government contracts, and Ford encourages city governments to do the same.

Also: "We're ripping up Ontario's contract with Starlink," noting Ontario won't support people who launch these sweeping economic attacks.

"To support the federal government's efforts, Ontario will also launch its first round of tariffs." American brands will be taken off shelves & wholesale catalogs from LCBO, a major importer of U.S. wine, beer, and spirits.

Ford is on now with a somber opening, expressing sympathy for the millions of Americans being hurt by the U.S. government's tariffs, especially factory workers in the rust belt.

"Now we have no choice. We have to respond. Earlier this morning PM Trudeau and his team announced retaliatory tariffs."

Below are maps of New England showing real-time electricity prices. For the same demand in MW, prices went from ~$45 to above $100 across the entire region.

Folks are going to hungry to pay their bills this month. We need an immediate ban on utility shutoffs in every state.

The Secret Society Raising Your Electricity Bills A breakthrough report details how utility companies use bogus models to earn excess profits.

Nationalize the utilities.

ICYMI.

"Now it’s clear that the political instability is here at home, and our energy profiteers are only going to add to the problem... We will need policy that ensures our energy security without exacerbating these challenges by adding to climate change." @lizafeatherstone.bsky.social

Ontario Premier Doug Ford to hold news conference after Trump launches trade war | CBC News Ontario Premier Doug Ford is set to hold a news conference Tuesday after the U.S. imposed sweeping tariffs that could devastate several key industries in the province.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is about to speak to the media about his plans, possibly including whether or not he will follow through on his threat to cut off Canadian electricity exports to the U.S.

You can follow along here:
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

All Parties Letter | NEUAC FY 2026 All Parties Letter The All Parties Letter is an annual effort by NEUAC, uniting over a thousand stakeholders to urge Congress to protect and maximize LIHEAP funding, ensuring energy security f...

Join us in showing our support for the nation's only bill assistance program, LIHEAP, that provides emergency cash assistance for people who can't afford their energy bills.

Please sign this NEUAC letter and share with others (for orgs only, not individuals): neuac.org/all-parties-...

Everyone should have electricity. Rhode Island is the 14th state in the country where lawmakers and ordinary people are making this future possible! Let’s go!

We're all in! ⚡️

What Trump’s Tariffs Could Mean for Your Utility Bill Even if oil is exempted from the tariffs the president plans to slap on Mexico and Canada, experts predict a rise in electrical costs. Diversifying both energy sources and models—like offering public ...

The looming tariffs on electricity will spike people's bills almost instantly. That's a disaster. But as we told @newrepublic.com, “we already pay a tariff because of how much corporate profit is priced in, compared to what the price would be under public power.”

Public power is a future worth fighting for Our opponents can’t stop our vision for public power anymore than they can keep you from dreams of a better life for yourself, your families, and your loved ones.

Our opponents can’t stop our vision for public power anymore than they can keep you from dreams of a better life for yourself, your families, and your loved ones.

Check out our latest newsletter and sign up to keep getting the latest updates on the national fight for public power!

“One hundred percent we should be thinking about different models of business and ownership,” @katenrg.bsky.social says.

Whether through public ownership, employee ownership, or community benefits agreements, public goods like energy will increasingly require more innovative institutions.

52 million Americans struggle to pay their energy bills, says Isaac Sevier, executive director of Public Grids, an organization advocating public ownership of utilities nationwide, and Trump’s move will “make that deep affordability crisis even worse.”

What Trump’s Tariffs Could Mean for Your Utility Bill Even if oil is exempted from the tariffs the president plans to slap on Mexico and Canada, experts predict a rise in electrical costs. Diversifying both energy sources and models—like offering public ...

The looming tariffs on electricity will spike people's bills almost instantly. That's a disaster. But as we told @newrepublic.com, “we already pay a tariff because of how much corporate profit is priced in, compared to what the price would be under public power.”

Fans of public power in the DMV should be sure to add this to their calendars! It's time to reimagine why we have utility corporations in the U.S. and what purpose they serve. Sandeep Vaheesan's new book is a must-read for innovative activists, union rank and file, and public workers alike.