Cheating the System: How PJM’s Bias Against Clean Energy Hurts Us All

A blog by Jake Schwartz, CCAN’s Federal Campaigns Manager. 

PJM is cheating. As the nation’s largest regional transmission organization (RTO), with a responsibility to manage and oversee the transmission grid, the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection (PJM) has a responsibility to deliver reliable and affordable energy to regional consumers. No energy is more infinite than that from the sun and wind. Despite this, PJM is prioritizing fossil fuel plants, cheating us out of cheaper clean energy options.  

The Cost of PJM’s Fossil Fuel Dependence

PJM’s costs are skyrocketing and the reason why is clear: fossil fuels are unreliable. While PJM prioritizes future natural gas plants, already-approved clean energy projects are still waiting for interconnection to the electricity grid. The grid works best when PJM can plan years in advance how future energy needs are going to be met; if there’s unreliability, then they have to tap into additional resources, which costs more. While winter disruptions and other infrastructure issues are making fossil fuels more expensive than expected, clean energy is as cheap as ever. They’re prioritizing the wrong thing. 

In February 2025, the much-anticipated Brattle Report, commissioned by a conservative group, determined that prioritizing clean energy will result in more reliability for the grid. We cannot afford the status quo. Cheaper clean energy projects that would lower costs are ready to go – PJM just has to approve their connection to the electricity grid. We’re calling on them to act now. 

 

Delays in Clean Energy Integration

PJM has been delaying the interconnection of clean energy projects while fast-tracking fossil fuel plants in the queue, causing more unreliability. Between 2012 and 2022, PJM added three times more fossil fuel capacity than renewables, a stark contrast to other RTOs that are rapidly integrating clean energy. Over 2,200 renewable energy projects in PJM’s queue have been waiting for years to connect to the grid. This backlog includes enough clean energy capacity to power millions of homes.

Source: Brattle Economic Analysis of Clean Energy Tax Credits Report

Connecting these clean energy projects is more than just the right thing to do for their consumers; it is required by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). FERC Order 1920 requires RTOs like PJM to comprehensively plan for the future, including factoring in a high usage of renewables into their scenario planning. PJM is pushing back and trying to get off the hook for even just planning with clean energy; they seem to be in denial that the future of electricity here in the Chesapeake region is green. 

Debunking PJM’s Flawed Reasoning

RTOs say that American energy consumption is projected to increase significantly by 2050, driven in large part due to new data centers for AI, and that they need fossil fuels that produce electricity 24/7 instead of just when the sun is shining to meet this demand. This is flawed reasoning for multiple reasons. With more efficient data centers and AI models coming out every year, PJM’s energy projections will likely be an overestimate, again. The release of the AI model DeepSeek, which uses ten times less energy than ChatGPT, is proof that our future energy appetite is not insatiable. 

However, even if energy demand does spike, clean energy would still be the economical choice for supply. When paired with battery storage, utility-scale solar and offshore wind is cheaper, more reliable, and limitless, while fossil fuel plants cost more, take longer to build, and are inherently a finite resource. Battery storage can also ramp up much faster than gas plants, making them ideal for grid stability. With sufficient storage, solar can cover energy peaks far more easily than so-called gas peaker plants (the dirtiest kind of gas plant), removing the need to prioritize fossil fuels at all. 

Right now, clean energy developers are building all over the East Coast. PJM needs to overcome its institutional bias of the energies of yesterday and prioritize the electricity of tomorrow – connecting them to the grid now instead of letting gas plants cut the queue – to guarantee the cheaper, cleaner energy future that we all deserve. 

A Call for Change: Get Involved and Advocate for Clean Energy

Friends of Chesterfield Community Meeting on Dominion’s Peaker Plant Thursday, Feb 27, 2025

State governments within PJM’s jurisdiction are already pushing for change by creating voluntary forward clean energy markets to meet their climate goals. There are other actions that governors can take as well. In Pennsylvania, Governor Shapiro worked with PJM to settle a lawsuit and lower the capacity auction price cap by over 20%, averting a runaway auction price that would have unnecessarily increased energy bills. In all, this move by the governor saved consumers $21 billion over two years. 

As PJM electricity rates are expected to rise in June 2025, there is no reason other governors can’t do the same and help lead the clean energy transition, saving their constituents billions in the process. Join the fight for clean energy and against rising utility costs by becoming part of CCAN’s state-based action teams. Together, we can push for reforms that prioritize renewable energy projects, hold PJM accountable, and ensure a sustainable and affordable energy future for all.     

Become an Action Team Member Today!

A blog by Jake Schwartz, CCAN’s Federal Campaigns Manager.    

Black History Month and the Environmental Justice Movement

Happy Black History Month, climate family! Black History Month is coming to a close, and I’m still fired up to talk about the incredible impact Black leaders have had on the environmental justice movement. Let’s dive into this crucial intersection of racial justice and climate action! 

Black History Month is a time for reflection, remembrance, and celebration of the incredible contributions that Black people and communities have made to shaping our world. It’s also a time to critically engage with the struggles that continue to impact Black people, especially as they intersect with issues of environmental justice and climate change.

Environmental justice is not just about protecting the land; it’s about protecting people. Communities of color—especially Black communities—have long been on the frontlines of environmental harm. From toxic waste sites to polluted air and water, environmental burdens are disproportionately placed on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. This is the ugly truth of environmental racism, and it’s something we cannot ignore.

But here’s the thing: the fight for environmental justice is also a fight for liberation. It’s a fight against systemic oppression that harms the planet and its people. The negative impacts of climate change are often most acutely felt at the local level—where marginalized communities live, work, and fight for survival. That’s why we need to recognize the contributions of Black leaders in local climate justice movements and take action to support them.

The Roots of Environmental Justice

The environmental justice movement is deeply rooted in Black American history. It all kicked off in 1982 when the brave residents of Warren County, North Carolina, stood up against a toxic waste dump in their predominantly Black community. North Carolina had chosen to build a landfill for toxic waste in a community already facing economic challenges. The decision to place the dump there was approved despite the fact that the area had no history of industrial activity and was largely residential, with many families relying on farming and agriculture. This was not an isolated case but part of a larger pattern of environmental hazards being disproportionately placed in low-income, Black neighborhoods across the U.S.

NC Highways Historical Marker for PCB landfill protests in Afton, North Carolina

The people of Warren County, led by local activists, such as Dr. Robert Bullard and Ben Chavis, refused to passively accept this decision. They organized protests, rallies, and demonstrations to resist the construction of the toxic waste site. For weeks, starting in September 1982, activists, community leaders, and residents engaged in acts of civil disobedience, including blocking trucks from delivering toxic waste to the site. Protesters were arrested, and many were subjected to police brutality, but their efforts drew national attention to the broader issue of environmental racism.

The Warren County protests highlighted how communities of color bear the brunt of our country’s pollution, and this fight signaled that marginalized communities would no longer silently endure this exploitation. Although the landfill was ultimately built in Warren County, the protests sparked a national movement that led to critical developments in environmental policy and advocacy. In 1987, the landmark report by the United Church of Christ’s Commission for Racial Justice highlighted the disproportionate number of hazardous wastes sites in Black and low-income communities. 

But the fight didn’t start or end there. Black communities have been battling environmental injustices for generations, from toxic dumping to air pollution. These struggles laid the groundwork for what we now call the environmental justice movement.

Environmental Justice and the Climate Crisis

The global climate crisis is here—and its impacts are catastrophic. From rising sea levels to extreme weather patterns, vulnerable communities are bearing the brunt of environmental destruction. However, the solution to this crisis lies in the same principles that have guided the fight for environmental justice for decades: respect for the land, equity, and the empowerment of frontline communities.

In the United States, Black communities are disproportionately impacted by environmental degradation. Consider the history of environmental racism in places like Flint, Michigan, where lead-tainted water poisoned an entire city, or the continued struggles of communities living near industrial waste sites in places like Cancer Alley, Louisiana, where the risk of cancer is 95% higher than most of the country. The climate crisis amplifies these issues, making it clear that the environmental movement must center those who have been historically marginalized.

How You Can Help: Environmental Justice Organizations Serving Black Communities in the DMV Area

As we reflect on Black History Month, let’s also honor the environmental organizations serving Black communities and doing vital work on the ground. The following organizations are showing us that climate justice is about more than just reducing emissions – it’s about creating a fair and sustainable world for everyone. Support for these organizations is crucial, not just during Black History Month, but year-round. 

If you’re in the DC, Maryland, or Virginia area, there are powerful organizations that need your support:

  • Empower DC: Empower DC is elevating the cause of environmental justice to bring about improvements at the community and systemic levels. They are focused on DC neighborhoods most impacted by air quality issues.
  • WE ACT for Environmental Justice (DC Chapter): Through advocacy, planning, and research, WE ACT is able to mobilize low-income communities of color to make environmental change.
    Friends of Chesterfield for the 2025 Gas Plant Campaign Kick-Off  Thursday, Feb 27, at the Central Library.
  • Labor Network For Sustainability(LNS) DC: LNS hopes to create a ‘just transition’ for workers and communities negatively affected by climate change and by industry transitions to renewable energy.
  • Center for Community Engagement, Environmental Justice & Health (CEEJH) MD:  CEEJH works to INpower fenceline, frontline, and underserved communities to resist ongoing environmental, climate, energy, and health injustices so everyone can thrive in just, equitable, and sustainable futures.
  • CASA (Maryland & Virginia): CASA is a national powerhouse organization building power and improving the quality of life in working-class: Black, Latinx, Afro-descendent, Indigenous, and Immigrant communities.
  • Friends of Chesterfield: Friends of Chesterfield is a community-based group in Chesterfield County bringing residents together in opposition to Dominion Energy’s proposed gas-fired plant in an environmental justice community.
  • RVA Southside ReLeaf:  Southside Releaf is working to tackle environmental injustice through hands-on projects, education, and advocacy in the Richmond Metro area.
  • Virginia Interfaith Power & Light (VAIPL): VAIPL collaborates among people of faith and conscience to grow healthy communities by advancing climate and environmental justice.

These groups are fighting for cleaner air, safer neighborhoods, and a healthier planet. They are standing up against environmental injustices, advocating for policy changes, and empowering their communities to take action.

The Future Is Now

Black History Month is a time to reflect on how far we’ve come, but also to recognize how much work remains. The environmental justice movement reminds us that the fight for a healthy planet is inseparable from the fight for racial justice. In the words of the great environmentalist and activist Dr. Robert Bullard: “Environmental justice is a civil rights issue.” It’s time to honor the legacy of Black leaders who have been fighting for justice on all fronts and take action to support those leading the charge today.

Now, more than ever, the future of our planet—and our communities—depends on the power of collective action. Let’s ensure that Black voices and environmental justice communities are not only heard but supported in meaningful ways. Let’s commit to amplifying Black voices in the climate movement and working towards a just and sustainable future for all.

Why Climate Activists Need to Be Anti-Racist Activists

Whose apocalypse do you care about?

I was originally supposed to write this blog post about why we need the climate movement to get huge, and discuss Harvard researcher Erica Chenoweth’s discoveries about how relatively small proportions of the population are needed to overthrow tyrannical governments. This is all still true and important; I highly suggest you watch her TED talk here.*

However, today I have something even more pressing to discuss. I want to talk about why all climate activists should become anti-racist activists. If you are a white activist and recent events have stirred you to start down the path of anti-racist practice, welcome, this post is for you. 

For those of you who are people of color: Our hearts are breaking for you. If you have a story about what’s going on you’d like to share, we’d love to amplify your voice. Simply email info@chesapeakeclimate.org and we’ll work with you on this. 

I’d like to first acknowledge that I benefit from white privilege and it’s important to put my words here in that context. That isn’t to say I haven’t experienced challenges, and I have other parts of myself that are not fully liberated in this country (notably, I’m a woman, queer and neurodivergent). Many of my family members have experienced poverty for generations and still continue to experience it today. But yet even with all of that being true, I still very much benefit from a history of white supremacy. And *all* of the challenges I face are made easier for having white skin. This is a foundational principle of intersectionality (a term coined by a black woman): no struggle is faced in a vacuum That is why we will never truly win on a single issue that is “good for everyone” without specifically addressing how racism undermines our movements. We’ve seen this time and time again throughout history, from black suffragists excluded from the women’s movement, to 53% of white women voting for Trump in 2016.

Francis Elen Watkins Harper, an intellectual and poet who spoke out about exclusionary practices in the women’s suffrage movement

Anti-racist practice is the constant examination of the way that race interplays with every aspect of life, and at every stage demanding differently. Scholar Ibram Kendi compares racism to the cancer he lives with; unexamined, it metastasizes through the whole body. The treatment is to remove tumors (racist policies) and medicate the entire system (commit to anti-racist education). 

How do we move forward from here?

So if you are white, how do you go about educating yourself and others about race?

Step one: Always trust black and brown people’s authority on this subject first.

Seriously, don’t just take my word for it. No matter how woke you get, or how much you are connected to black people in your personal life, if you are white you will not understand what it is to personally be subject to racism and wake up black every day (this poem by Candace Williams helped me to understand this emotionally). Black and brown people have been doing this work intergenerationally. Another analogy here – doing anti-racist work is like doing calculus in a burning building, where people of color are the experts and white people have not started learning basic addition. If you’re just coming into this understanding, there is a lot of learning and listening to do. This means frequently passing up the microphone, and committing deeply to self-work.

Now, important caveat here: You should absolutely read resources authored by people of color and listen when they are speaking, but do your best not to come with too many questions to individual people of color. A constant state of rehashing basic principles and convincing people of your humanity is exhausting. Research shows that this is the number one reason for burn out among anti-racist acitivists of color (more tips for avoiding this contained in the link).

This is one of many reasons step two is very important: White people need to talk to other white people about anti-racism.

To Kendi’s point, these ideas need to permeate the whole system. If you are a white person, you have access to white spaces and ears that black and brown people do not. Be that person and bring up this issue everywhere you go, from the policy table to the dinner table. As you progress on your journey, you will also learn how to speak to other white people at different levels of understanding (back to that calculus analogy – this is like forming a study group). You have the opportunity to leverage your relationships and position strategically. While big visible protests can be really important, we would not need them if we committed to doing this work full time. This is -really- hard. I’m certainly not an expert, but groups like Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) work on this effort constantly.

Whiteness in the climate movement

Now with all of that given, let’s talk for a moment about whiteness in the climate movement specifically. First, let’s establish that if you truly care about the principle of a stable climate, you should absolutely care about racial justice. Think of all the grief and post apocalyptic imagery that we understand so well in the climate movement. Do those images involve terror, conflict, lack of access to safe water and food? We have seen constantly in the news that many people in this country are already living that reality for being black. Native activists have also written about already living in a post-apocalyptic world. So the apocalypse is already here, it just might not have touched you yet. And climate change will absolutely make all of these problems worse for people already facing extreme living conditions. 

Meanwhile, the environmental movement has centered white voices and priorities for decades and is overwhelmingly white. A 2014 study conducted by environmental expert Dorceta Taylor examined the composition of environmental groups and found what we can see anecdotally; through and through white faces dominate at events and on staff. This research also examined some of the reason that might be the case, including a lack of funding dedicated to this cause and a lack of transparency about the state of diversity in our movement (here at CCAN we are working on understanding the composition of our own base; you can take a survey here). Not understanding this has significantly cost progress, and as we move into a “majority minority” composition in this country, we will suffer for it if we don’t quickly adapt. Even more disturbing is the fact that white supremacist groups have begun co-opting environmentalist messaging. Allowing this to sit unexamined will become a truly deadly cancer indeed. We need to make sure that at every turn we are denouncing racist practices, in our spheres of influence and especially in ourselves. This is why it is so important to listen to POC community leaders and incorporate their policy demands into our climate policy. 

We always have the opportunity to do differently. We can each decide to change our own mindset and start learning that calculus with urgency. In addition to the many resources I have linked throughout this post, I have also linked below a compilation of resources I have found helpful. The best time to start is now; the building truly is on fire. I would be happy to study with you. 

Resources

**(also, please note that while Chenoweth’s research shows that non-violent movements are ultimately easier to carry out and are often more effective in the long run, she does not condemn rioting when there are no other options left. Many black scholars, including Martin Luther King, have written about why rioting occurs and should be understood in context)

During coronavirus, Flint residents still do not have access to clean water. Photo by Karla Ann Cote/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Catching up with the Baltimore Peoples Climate Movement!

It’s been a busy summer with the Baltimore Peoples Climate Movement! This coalition of environmental and social justice groups has hosted a series of art builds, skills trainings, and town halls focused on building a just clean energy and economic future.
All of these events are working to connect the dots between climate change and other critical issues in the city, while building a powerful climate justice movement to push for a fossil-fuel-free future that works for all of us. On September 8th, we’ll celebrate and continue building together at the Festival for Change: Climate, Jobs and Justice!
This festival will feature activities, games for kids and adults, live music, DJs — and of course, opportunities to take local action for climate justice! September 8th is an international day of action, and the Festival for Change is Baltimore’s contribution to the movement for Climate, Jobs & Justice.

“Resilience Street” will be featured at the Festival for Change: Climate, Jobs & Justice on September 8th. It takes many hands to build a village, and this one was a collaborative effort between Valeska Populoh, Dirk Jospeh, Azaria, Michael Lamason, Jennifer Strunge, Reynard Parks, Naadiya Hutchinson, Dan Van Allen and Jack Trimper!

 
Featuring local artists including DJ Isabelle Genie, Joy Postell, Dew More Baltimore, DJ Flow, President Davo, The Baltimore Twilighters, and Be Civil Battles and local climate leaders, including Dr. Rev. Heber Brown with the Black Church Food Security Network and Destiny Watford with United Workers, the festival will be a celebratory and fun-filled day of action! You’ll have a chance to tour a tiny home, engage in a solar demo, practice easy at-home gardening and composting, prepare for extreme weather — and more! The festival will also feature games and art activities, including Resilience Street — a cardboard neighborhood that you can help build — a test-your-knowledge recycling game, and climate justice cornhole!
You don’t want to miss the Festival for Change: Climate, Jobs & Justice. Join us on September 8th and bring your family, friends, and neighbors!
 
Here’s a recap of what we’ve been up to the past month. To read about our events from earlier in the summer, click here!
At the end of July, we hosted a teach-in called “Change Our City Charter” where attendees learned about the city’s charter and how you can use ballot initiatives to change the way city government works. Legal experts and community organizers from the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative, Communities United, and United Workers shared their experience with current ballot initiatives and answered questions ranging from drafting the ballot question language to strategies for collecting enough petitions to get your question on the ballot (you need 10,000!)
Nabeehah Azeez with Communities United shares information about her experience with ballot initiatives.

 
We also hosted our first town hall in July, which focused on transit, housing, and health and how all of these issues connect to climate change. The town hall began with a panel discussion featuring transit, housing, and health advocates who responded to questions about how the issue they work on connects with and is exacerbated by climate change, what solutions they’re working toward, obstacles they face, and how they make their work relevant to the public at large. Panelists highlighted the inequities that Baltimoreans face daily in housing, transit, and infrastructure and how these inequities are amplified by climate change. Didn’t make the town hall? Watch the recording here! 
Panelist Samuel Jordan of the Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition speaks while co-panelist Sylvia Lam with the Environmental Integrity Project (far left), moderator Marc Steiner (center left), co-panelist Sidney Bond with Housing Our Neighbors and United Workers (center right), and Yinka Bode-George with the Maryland Environmental Health Network (far right) listen.

 
After the panel discussion and Q&A, attendees broke out into small groups to discuss what they had just heard. Breakout groups responded to prompts about how these issues connect to / show up in their lives, what they learned about the connections between these issues, and what climate justice would look like in Baltimore. At the end of the event, attendees filled out pledge cards committing to different actions they can take locally for climate justice.
A breakout group discussing what they learned during the Transit, Housing, and Health Town Hall.

 
We kicked off August with two more art builds! Members of the Baltimore Peoples Climate Movement and community members gathered at Black Cherry Puppet Theater to create materials for the Festival for Change on September 8th. We made signs for different stations at the festival, a banner for the stage, climate justice cornhole, and a cardboard miniature village called “Resilience Street” that will be featured at the festival.
At work making signs and banners for the Festival for Change on September 8th!

 
Painter and artisan Dirk Joseph works on “Resilience Street”

 
Last night, we hosted our second town hall. This one focused on building the New Energy & Economic Future and featured labor, climate, and grassroots leaders. Jim Strong from United Steelworkers, Reynard Parks from Navitas Solar, Kallan Benson from Zero Hour, and Nabeehah Azeez from Communities United dug into what it will take to build green industries in Maryland that protect our climate and health, provide clean, affordable power, and create family-sustaining jobs.
Mustafa Ali, Senior VP of Climate, Environmental Justice & Community Revitalization for the Hip Hop Caucus, taped a special video welcome for the town hall. Then the panel wrestled with questions such as how to create more family-sustaining, union jobs within the clean energy sector, especially given that 90% of fossil fuel jobs are unionized and offer good pay with benefits. Throughout the evening, attendees in person and viewers from across the country (and the world!) who tuned into the livestream weighed in to answer poll questions and ask their own questions of the panelists. These questions enriched the conversation, particularly a question from someone who lives in the Maldives who challenged the panel to highlight wealth inequality as a significant barrier to climate justice.
The audience watches a video welcome from Mustafa Ali before the panel begins at the New Energy & Economic Future Town Hall.

 
As you can see, it’s been a busy summer with the Baltimore Peoples Climate Movement! I hope you’ve been able to join us for some of these events, and that you’ll come out to the Festival for Change: Climate, Jobs & Justice on September 8th!