Just Energy Transitions

Sloan Foundation Just Energy Transitions Project

Professor of Law Uma Outka and CCSC Director Ward Lyles are part of a multi-university team investigating local and state efforts to promote a just transition to green energy. Often, the ability to access clean energy (think electric vehicles or solar panels on a roof) depends on wealth, leaving behind those who most need reduced utility bills and cleaner air. States and local governments are innovating in myriad ways.

With funding from the Sloan Foundation starting in Fall 2022, Outka and Lyles are partnering with colleagues at Barry University, the University of Richmond, Penn State, and the University of Minnesota. The team will develop a community-engaged, place-based policy framework for US energy transitions and assess subnational energy policies. A core aim is to characterize policy designs reflective of the place-based needs for just transitions and synthesize best practices for energy transition policies based on a comparative case study (Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania) approach and a comprehensive review of energy transition process.