Learning How to Put Equity into Practice

As a student learning about the need for a shift to clean, renewable energy sources for social and environmental health, I understood the need for energy justice to create an equitable clean energy landscape. But I lacked an understanding of how energy justice could be put into practice. 

How can community engagement be done effectively? 

Can large clean energy projects benefit frontline communities? 

What are the barriers to implementing equitable clean energy projects? 

These are some of the questions that motivated me to pursue work with The Greenlining Institute (GLI). Throughout my summer, I developed a deeper understanding of energy justice and learned what questions to ask to facilitate more equitable, community-engaged projects.

While working with GLI, I had the opportunity to hear from community members impacted by large proposed energy projects in California—including hydrogen and direct lithium extraction, both of which have raised questions about air pollution impacts and water use in frontline communities—voice their concerns as their already burdened communities were projected to bear an even heavier burden with proposed developments. I attended coalition calls with other community advocacy groups and learned about the most impactful ways to advocate for community concerns in the California legislature. I conducted my own equity analysis on a battery mineral recycling bill to understand how to put equity principles into practice.

My experience left me with the following takeaways:

• Transparency and intentional involvement are essential for ensuring community concerns are properly addressed. The best way to hear and address community concerns is to intentionally involve community members in the planning stages and compensate community members who provide input.
• Trust your work and ask for help! The responsibility and support my team gave me allowed me to take ownership of my project. My experience conducting my first equity analysis helped me understand the importance of trusting my research and analyses while also asking for help when I felt out of my depth.

I spent the first four weeks of my nine-week fellowship researching electric vehicle (EV) battery mineral mining, refining, and recycling by reading reports and studies detailing how the battery mineral supply chain works and how communities are impacted. I also heard from community members about the frustration they felt and lack of information they were provided about proposed developments that were going to be built near their homes. It was, and is, clear that low-income communities of color bear a disproportionate burden of our current EV battery mineral system. I compiled reports that I felt were most informative and applicable to Greenlining’s advocacy work into an annotated bibliography for Greenlining colleagues to refer to if they needed more information regarding EV battery mineral mining, processing, and recycling. 

For my second project, I applied The Greenlining Institute’s Making Equity Real Framework to Senate Bill 615, a bill that establishes extended producer responsibility for EV battery minerals. My final deliverable was a policy memo with recommendations for how equity could be advanced in the bill. The goal of the memo was to provide insight for Greenlining colleagues on areas for future advocacy as the California EV battery recycling industry develops. 

One of the most frequent themes from my own analysis and from hearing community members voice their concerns about proposed energy projects was a need for increased transparency and involvement of community members. Rather than simply announcing project details as they occur—which gives communities little time to react or object to any potentially harmful impacts—intentionally informing community members early on about proposed operations and working with communities to hear and address their concerns creates a transparent process that minimizes harm. 

Furthermore, because intentional community involvement will take extra time and effort for community members, those members who are consulted should be compensated. This is true especially for proposed projects planning to operate on Indigenous lands. Ensuring Tribes are informed early on and receiving Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) from Tribes before project construction is essential. 

While conducting my bill analysis, I realized one of the best ways to ensure companies facilitate more equitable project development procedures is to require measures like FPIC and methods for how the company will address community concerns in certification/permit application requirements. Such requirements may be contested by companies since they often seek to reduce regulation within their operating industry. I witnessed this firsthand as SB615 passed through the legislature and language regulating how EV battery mineral recycling is conducted was removed. While intentional community involvement will require extra time and money for companies, it facilitates a more equitable energy system by not repeating the problem of disregarding frontline communities in energy project development. My experience did not only show me the importance of community involvement. It also provided a current example for how difficult it can be to ensure communities are intentionally involved.

The second takeaway came later on in my fellowship. My project scope in the beginning of the summer was very clearly defined, but as the summer continued, I had the privilege of determining what I wanted my second project to focus on, who I wanted to interview, and the final format. With encouragement and input from my colleagues and supervisors, I was able to create a final product that allowed me to focus on a topic I was interested in. More importantly, it benefited GLI by helping them determine advocacy areas in future EV battery mineral recycling legislation and projects. The support I received from my supervisors and colleagues and my previous research on the EV battery mineral industry showed me that I was prepared to conduct my first equity analysis before I even felt I was ready. I was provided with the assurance that my colleagues believed in my ability to do good work, and I had the technical support from colleagues who could guide me as I conducted my analysis and inform me of what would be most helpful to the organization. With support and empowerment, I had the confidence to create a project I was proud of that would help further Greenlining’s mission.

I’m grateful for my experience working with inspiring colleagues and hearing from resilient community members on projects I’m passionate about. Furthermore, my time with The Greenlining Institute has equipped me with the skills and confidence to continue learning and advocating for more equitable energy infrastructure.