News and Press Releases

“A2P2 commends City Council for its commitment to the A2Zero plan and to the plan’s broad range of sustainability initiatives,” the organization said. “However, we strongly urge Council to reject the nomination of Knox Cameron to the Energy Commission. DTE Energy, Mr. Cameron’s employer, should not have representation on the Commission, which advises City Council on energy matters.”

Local control over decision making in areas such as renewable energy or reliability offers a key advantage for public power communities, Ursula Schryver, Vice-President of Strategic Member Engagement & Education at the American Public Power Association (APPA), said during a recent event related to public power. She participated in a virtual event on public power around the country and lessons learned for Ann Arbor, Mich., whose City Council earlier this year unanimously adopted a resolution initiating a feasibility study for a public power utility.

Community members gathered at Burns Park Sunday evening to attend a public power festival hosted by Ann Arbor for Public Power (A2P2), a non-profit organization advocating for the city to municipalize its energy utility and replace DTE Energy, the private utility company currently serving Ann Arbor, with a publicly owned energy utility. The Sunday festival featured live music, educational booths and speeches from guest speakers.

“We can say that we are no longer going to allow a private corporation controlled by a small group of callous and indifferent people to determine what the fate of this world will be. We can invest in our future, we can build a new paradigm and we can say that we are no longer going to accept the world as it is.”

Six local leaders and experts in sustainability and energy met to discuss the potential for public power in Ann Arbor. The event was the first of an ongoing series of round tables hosted by the organization Ann Arbor for Public Power.

"Supporters of forming a municipal electric utility to replace DTE Energy as Ann Arbor’s power provider are inviting the public to learn more about the idea."

"Someone must 'spearhead' the development of this utility by promoting the concept to the community, discussing with the local government and handling legal aspects, and the University of Michigan is an institution large enough to do so if they wished."

Over 20 members of A2P2 protested in front of Larcom City Hall Tuesday night ahead of an Ann Arbor City Council vote to implement a feasibility study in creating a municipal energy utility.

"University of Michigan students and other members of activist group Ann Arbor for Public Power demonstrated along Huron Street ahead of a City Council meeting where city officials were considering the city’s energy future."

"As the resolution noted, the city’s A2Zero climate action plan calls for a transition to 100% renewable power by 2030. Municipalization is a legal and established means to achieve that goal, Ann Arbor for Public Power said, noting that 41 Michigan cities and towns operate public power utilities, and both the state constitution and city charter explicitly enable new ones."

With frustration growing over utility inaction with regard to climate change and clean energy, many are suggesting that municipalization (i.e., utility owned and operated by a local government versus an investor-owned utility) is the preferred answer to climate change and community sustainability. Greg Woodring, Ann Arbor Public Power will discuss municipalization as a preferred clean energy option for Michigan.