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Member Interview: Miguel Yanez, Program Associate for the Environmental and Energy Study Institute

I had the pleasure of catching up with Miguel Yanez, a relatively new RE-AMP member whose organization joined in 2015. Miguel has wasted no time getting involved and connecting with other RE-AMP members to expand on-bill financing programs. For him, the RE-AMP Network has provided an invaluable space to collaborate and that’s why he volunteered for the Annual  Meeting Planning Committee. He’s looking forward to designing a meeting that connects, aligns, and inspires members.- Sarah Ann Shanahan, Community Manager

 

 

“Working with RE-AMP in the last few years has really help me meet others working on similar issues. It’s help us expand on bill financing programs in many RE-AMP states including Iowa and Minnesota. It’s been so valuable to connect with all these groups, so I volunteered to help with the Annual to continue to deepen our connection to the Network.”Miguel Yanez, Program Associate for Environmental and Energy Study Institute

 

 

Sarah Ann Shanahan: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.

Miguel Yanez: I’m from Spain and I’ve been in the United States for the past 17 years. Most of that time was in New York City but for the past five years I’ve been based in DC. In New York, I worked for a solar developer doing business development, research, and advocating for solar policies.

 

Sarah Ann Shanahan: What’s the Environmental Energy Study Institute (EESI) and what is your role there? Why did EESI join RE-AMP?

Miguel Yanez: EESI was a spin off from a bipartisan Congressional caucus. It’s a non-profit that works in a non-partisan way to talk about and develop policies for energy efficiency, renewables, and transportation. We work with partners and do about 25 on the hill briefings a year, publish 2 weekly newsletters, and produce other articles on these issues. I’m working on on-bill financing with electric cooperatives and municipal utilities.  We were drawn to RE-AMP because we are doing a lot of work in the Midwest. We joined in 2015 and we’ve met a lot people to help us with our on bill financing work to get programs flowing in the Midwest.

 

Sarah Ann Shanahan: What prompted you to volunteer for the Annual Meeting Planning Committee? What are you hoping to contribute?

Miguel Yanez: Working with RE-AMP in the last few years has really help me meet others working on similar issues. It’s help us expand on bill financing programs in many RE-AMP states including Iowa and Minnesota. It’s been so valuable to connect with all these groups, so I volunteered to help with the Annual to continue to deepen our connection to the Network. It’s one of the biggest convenings in the Midwest which provides an chance to talk about a large swath of policies and to figure out new ways of talking about our issues. We each contribute to solutions in our own way, but the sum of all of our parts leads to a great change because we work together. RE-AMP is important because it get everyone working together in the same direction, even if we aren’t working on the exact same things.

 

Sarah Ann Shanahan: What inspires you to do this work?

Miguel Yanez: To drive change in small and rural communities. Our solutions can save people money and really make a difference on a broader scale. There’s so much to be done in this country; We could be a leader on clean energy, reduce pollution, and improve our society. Ultimately, for me, it’s about curbing climate change.

 

Sarah Ann Shanahan: Anything else you’d like to share?

Miguel Yanez: I always love the Annual Meeting! This will be my third one. There’s a lot networking opportunities, new ideas are shared and that helps drive the work that needs to be done.

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