Ideas to Advance Equity and Deliver Environmental Justice Using Executive Authority

Mar 15

View The CLEEN Project's Ideas to Advance Equity and EJ Using Executive Authority

Top 3 vote-getters:

Update Energy Efficiency Standards for Manufactured Housing

Contributor: Lowell Ungar, Ph.D.

Summary: Proposes an update to HUD's energy efficiency standards for manufactured homes (of which there are about 7 million in the U.S., with 4 million in rural areas). Because manufactured homes are made in factories that may ship to multiple states, they are not regulated by state building codes but by a federal standard that preempts state regulation through HUD. The code hasn't been updated since 1994, even though Congress directed DOE to develop new standards in 2007. The update proposed would address air quality concerns and improve energy efficiency in manufactured housing.

A Just, Equitable, and Green Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for the 21st Century

Contributors: Stephen Smith, Maggie Shober, Christopher Carnevale

Summary: Proposes that President Biden should fill the vacancies in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board with individuals who will aim to reach net-zero emissions, lower energy bills, create jobs, and right injustices. TVA provides electricity to business customers and local power companies that serve approximately 10 million people, making the potential impact significant. The current TVA Board consists of six white men and one white women, so the diversity of the board could also be enhanced.

Modify HUD Regulations to Increase EE & RE Investments in Public Housing

Contributor: Anna Lising, Kaylene Hung

Summary: Proposes expanding the July 8, 2019 HUD memo to apply to all solar installations on affordable multifamily housing nationwide, in order to ensure that all HUD tenants can directly benefit from solar projects. This memo exempted solar credits generated from projects serving multi-family affordable housing from being factored into utility allowance calculations, meaning that solar credits can be applied to tenant utility accounts, thereby reducing their utility bills, without impacting their rent amount (i.e. they actually save money each month). Expanding this rule to all solar projects serving multi-family affordable housing nationwide ensures that underserved communities throughout the country directly benefit from public investment in distributed solar.