Greetings, RE-AMPers!

Much like the world around us, this spring the Network is abuzz with activity between a full schedule of state table meetings and skills-building webinars, and our anticipation for the 2016 Annual Meeting—the one time every year when Network members roll up their sleeves to set strategy for the months ahead. Our May Network Update includes not-to-miss information about all of the above, and, notably:

• An update on the timeline and process for the next round of funding from the Global Warming Strategic Action Fund;
• Member interviews, including comments from Nick Occhipinti on how his participation in Network activities bolsters his own work in Michigan, and from Susan Guy on the development of the Iowa State Table;
• New and updated tools and resources for our climate advocacy;
• Updates from your colleagues on climate and energy work in Iowa and Minnesota; and much more. 

Please read on, and enjoy!

— Feature Stories  —

2016 Steering Committee Elections to be Held in June

Next month, you will have a significant opportunity to influence the direction of the Network by running for an open seat on the RE-AMP Steering Committee. 2016 Steering Committee elections materials are now available on the Commons. Please refer to the 2016 Elections Guide for detailed information about the elections process and timeline, candidate eligibility, as well as the application link. The deadline to apply is June 3rd, 2016 at 4:30 p.m. CST. The Steering Committee Job Description outlines roles and responsibilities.

Overall, members of the RE-AMP Steering Committee provide guidance on the Network’s direction, and keep us focused on transforming the Midwest energy system in service of our audacious carbon reduction goals. The governing body is currently made up of the following seventeen seats:

• Three at-large representatives
• Seven working group leaders
• Three foundation representatives
• Four caucus representatives (new seats established in 2016)

In 2016, the following eight seats will be up for election for three-year terms (unless otherwise noted):

1. At-large Representative (currently held by Sarah Mullkoff)
2. Clean Energy Working Group Leader (currently held by Duane Ninneman)
3. Transportation Working Group Leader (currently held by Steve Hiniker)
4. Foundation Working Leader (currently held by Ed Miller)
5. Foundation Representative (currently held by Emily Van Dunk)
6. Faith Caucus
7. Rural Caucus (one-year term)
8. Youth Caucus (two-year term)

The 2016 elections for open Steering Committee seats have been scheduled in June to overlap with the RE-AMP Annual Meeting. Candidates will be announced prior to the annual meeting, with ballots due in early July. We strongly encourage all candidates to attend the annual meeting, where there will be time to network with fellow RE-AMP members (and ask for their votes)! See the 2016 Elections Guide for information about term lengths, as well as the election timeline and process.

Of special note, the Steering Committee recently made some exciting changes to its structure and to the elections process that will be implemented during the upcoming elections. In March the Committee adopted a recommendation put forward by the Youth Caucus to eliminate two “appointed” seats from the Steering Committee structure and add seats for elected caucus representatives. With this change, the Network’s governing body will more accurately reflect the makeup of our membership by incorporating the perspectives of our caucuses—and will be better positioned to work collaboratively.

Additionally, at an in-person meeting at the end of April, the Steering Committee appointed a Nominations Committee to assist with candidate recruitment and to oversee a fair elections process. This committee includes Network members Rachael Belz, Charles Griffith, Nachy Kanfer, Don Morrison, Keith Reopelle, Satya Rhodes-Conway, Brian Urbaszewski, and Abby Fenton.

Please review the 2016 Elections Guide for detailed information, and stay tuned to the Commons for updates on the elections process. If you have questions about our 2016 elections process you can contact Network Coordinator Lee Helgen at lee@reamp.org.

Global Warming Strategic Action Fund Update

Many thanks to all Network members who are engaged in shaping and leading state tables! We’re seeing good work across the region, and we’re excited about the ways in which these tables will help us achieve our climate goals over the coming years.

We’ve heard from many states that the timeline we had previously proposed for a next round of funding was not ideal, given how your state table work is unfolding. On April 29th, the RE-AMP Steering Committee responded to this feedback by making some changes to both extend the timeline and simplify the process. Though we’re still developing some of the details for this timeline and process, we want to share the current thinking and the general timeframe with you now, since many of you are in the process of planning your state table work for May and June.

This round of funding will focus on state table work and support for campaigns that are closely connected to state tables’ strategies:

1. The Global Warming Strategic Action Fund (Action Fund) will NOT have a deadline of May 30th for grant applications this year, as had previously been indicated. Instead, there will be a June 26th deadline for letters of inquiry (LOIs). We will share the format and guidelines for these LOIs soon, but they will be much less work for members and much easier for reviewers to respond to than our full proposal process.
2. After reviewing the LOIs, the Action Fund will invite some full proposals in early August.  We anticipate making grant decisions in September, with the grant period to begin October 1st and run through September 30th, 2017.
3. We will separate our core state table proposals (table infrastructure and capacity-building) from support for policy campaign activities.
4. Some funders participating in the Action Fund may also choose some of the LOIs and invite full proposals for their own consideration, which may result in direct grants from those funders. Any such grants would be on the timelines and under the guidelines of those foundations, not the Action Fund.

Also, we are still in the process of raising funds for our planned Strategic Opportunity Fund, so we have not yet announced the process for distributing those funds.

Please stay tuned to the Commons for more details!

Member Interview: Nick Occhipinti, West Michigan Environmental Action Council

Since 1968, West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC) has been offering on-the-ground environmental education and advocacy to communities across West Michigan. Nick Occhipinti, WMEAC’s Director of Policy and Community Activism, pursued membership with the RE-AMP Network five years ago to bolster this work and now, after years of collaboration, fondly describes RE-AMP as a “comfort blanket”—a deep well of knowledge he can draw on at any moment. Read RE-AMP Community Manager Jessica Conrad’s interview with Nick to find out how his participation in Network activities—from working group meetings to ad hoc committees—helps him advance WMEAC’s mission; to hear his creative ideas on how marrying “slow money” and crowd-funding to support distributed renewable energy projects could “change communities and clean our energy portfolio with unimaginable velocity”; to learn about his unique motivations for doing this work; and more. The full interview is available here.

Member Interview: Susan Guy, Iowa State Table

Like other state tables across the region, the Iowa State Table is currently laying the groundwork for developing a shared vision for the state’s climate and energy future—a vision, says Network member Susan Guy, that would move us closer to achieving RE-AMP’s greenhouse gas reduction goals faster than ever before. In her capacity as interim convener for the state table, Susan recently explained how inclusivity is core to the Iowa State Table’s development process, provided a logistics update, and shared her thoughts on the state table’s opportunities and pressing challenges. Read the full interview between Susan and RE-AMP Community Manager Jessica Conrad here.

— Network News — 

Wisconsin Advocates Convene for a Successful State Table Meeting

The Wisconsin State Table had a highly successful in-person meeting on April 27th in Milwaukee. Twenty-two groups participated in the state’s first full-day in-person meeting to engage in a packed agenda. Participants discussed the purpose and vision of the state table; learned about the issues and campaigns their peers around the state are working on; and planned out how to integrate the Jemez principles into the state table’s design, how to build on a power analysis for the state, and how to complete a landscape analysis. There was also a great “sense of place” presentation from a veteran local environmental attorney on the history of environmental and socioeconomic struggles in Milwaukee. Participants capped the day off with a social event at the Camp Bar, a Wisconsin Northwoods-themed tavern, for a uniquely Wisconsin experience.

Meeting participants Satya Rhodes-Conway from COWS and Seth Nowak from American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy pictured at left.

Steering Committee Discusses the Network’s Structure, Direction & Goals at their Spring Meeting

RE-AMP Steering Committee members Brian Depew, Nicole Rom, and Ed Miller gave an animated overview of their graphic interpretation of how the RE-AMP Network is helping advance our climate goals across the region.

At the end of April, the RE-AMP Steering Committee gathered outside of Minneapolis both to conduct some Network business and to discuss some strategic questions related to the Network’s current structure and goals. Steering Committee members discussed how the Network’s story and structure are evolving, given the recent changes within the Network and the context in which we work. Creative discussion ensued and segued into a review of our 80% carbon reduction goals, including both a report on our progress against them and a discussion of how we can better frame them to reflect our interest in promoting a more just and equitable energy system. (All Network members are invited to attend a webinar presentation on our progress toward RE-AMP’s North Star goals on May 25th.) The Committee also made progress on its internal review of the Network’s assets and structures, a priority established at the October 2015 in-person Steering Committee meeting. Despite the weighty and packed agenda, the meeting also lent itself to a fair dose of fun and some important relationship building as well.

RE-AMP Staff & Steering Committee Updates

Longtime Network member Steve Hiniker retired from his job as executive director of 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin at the end of April and is stepping down from his position as RE-AMP Transportation Working Group (TWG) Leader. We thank Steve for his contributions to RE-AMP over the years, and congratulate him on his retirement.

RE-AMP Community Manager Jessica Conrad has been accepted into an international Master of Science Program in Sustainability Leadership in Sweden and will leave her position with the Network at the end of June. She will continue serving in her current capacity through the 2016 Annual Meeting, at which point Sarah Shanahan will take over the community management role on an interim basis, until we hire a replacement. Jessica promises to let us know how we can keep in touch with her, and we wish her the very best as she begins her new adventure.

Sarina Otaibi recently left her position with Clean Up the River Environment (CURE) and role as our Clean Energy Working Group Associate for her dream job with the Minnesota Preservation Alliance. On May 1st, Erik Hatlestad joined the RE-AMP Staff as our new Clean Energy Working Group Associate. Many of you likely already know Erik through his work with Minnesota Public Interest Research Group and with CURE, so surely you know how excited we are to work with him in this new role.

Finally, as you may already know, Network Knowledge Manager Gail Francis will be taking a leave of absence this summer to pursue her long-held dream of hiking Norway end-to-end. From June through September, Sarah Shanahan will be the point of contact for any questions about Gail’s work during her leave. You can reach Sarah at sarah@reamp.org.

Deadline Approaching for the RE-AMP Systems Thinking Academy: Apply Today!

There’s been a lot of interest in the second annual RE-AMP Systems Thinking Academy, a three-day intensive introduction into the theory and practice of Systems Thinking. The event will be held in Chaska, Minnesota on November 9th, 10th and 11th. We encourage you to apply if you are enthusiastic about developing your skills as a systems thinker and enjoy complexity. You do not need previous study of the field of Systems Thinking to attend. RE-AMP will cover the cost of meals and lodging for the 12 people selected to attend. You can find more information about the academy on the Commons, or you can contact Network Knowledge Manager Gail Francis at gail@reamp.org. Applications close May 16th, so don’t delay. Apply today!

Organizing and Mobilizing Tactics Survey: Response Requested!

Does your group engage in grassroots organizing and mobilizing? If so, we need your help! The RE-AMP Organizing Hub is creating a Grassroots Organizing Planning Guide for groups that want to expand their grassroots organizing and mobilizing into new arenas or take the work they are already doing to the next level. The guide will compile the areas of expertise of Network members and present our best practices. Please take our survey by May 12th.

The ten-question survey is short, but gathering this information will allow the Org Hub to compile organizing and mobilizing best practices, and learn what other kinds of resources might benefit our Network. The deadline to complete the survey is May 12th. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Org Hub Co-Director Melissa Gavin at melissa@reamp.org or Sean Carroll, the Org Hub Intern, at seancarroll@gmail.com.

New Tool for Modeling Our Carbon Reduction Goals

In 2015, the firm Synapse Energy Economics, Inc., created a “Clean Power Plan Planning Tool” (CP3T) to help users model different scenarios for meeting the Clean Power Plan targets. The RE-AMP Steering Committee asked Synapse if they could modify this tool to make it more friendly to modeling our progress against the RE-AMP goal of reducing emissions by 80% from the power sector by 2030. The tool they created is available here and free for all to share. It is also open source, so you can modify it if you like. (See additional resources like these on the Tools, Analysis & Case Studies page on the Commons.)

Check out the Newly-Updated RE-AMP Dashboard

In mid-April, Network Knowledge Manager Gail Francis completed a quarterly update of the RE-AMP Dashboard, the tool documenting our progress toward our 80% greenhouse gas reduction goals. This update includes data on power sector fuel sources, member engagement, and Action Fund grants. The sections on overall greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled will be updated in October.

Two Not-to-Miss Visual Communications Resources

Two terrific resources for visual climate change communication recently came across our radar. If you haven’t see them, check out climateVISUALS, an interactive library of climate change visuals, and What They See Matters, a new visual storytelling best practices guide produced by our friends at Resource Media.

Calling all Network Divas: We Need You at the Annual Meeting!

In addition to pulling together an engaging, content-rich program for our 2016 Annual Meeting, the planning committee has a few surprises in store—but they need your help! Is your secret (or not so secret) life dream to compete on The Voice? Heck, can you hold a tune? If you answered “yes” to either question and plan to attend this year’s annual meeting in Chicago (register here), please contact Network Coordinator Lee Helgen at lee@reamp.org at your earliest convenience!

— Network Events — 

Webinar  |  Why YOUR (c)3 Should Get Involved in Elections This Year  |  May 11

You have probably heard that 501(c)3 organizations can get involved in election activities…but how? What would your organization have to gain from work around the elections? Are there any risks? Join the RE-AMP Organizing Hub on May 11th from 11:00 – 12:00 CST to kick-off its Civic Engagement Webinar Series and learn why YOUR organization should think about taking on election-related activities this year. You’ll find out what there is to gain for climate advocates and how you might consider taking advantage of this important election cycle in order to make your organization more effective in its climate and clean energy advocacy after the elections are over. Register here.

Webinar  |  Beyond Sharing: Community-Owned Renewable Energy  |  May 11

The electric utility monopoly is breaking up, but will renewable energy become another form of wealth extraction, or will community renewable energy enable communities to capture their renewable power?

Institute for Local Self-Reliance invites all Network members to join distributed energy guru John Farrell to hear how policy makers have found ways to work around or reduce the barriers to community renewable energy. The webinar will be held on May 11th from 11:00 – 12:30 CST. John will outline why proponents of community renewable energy should look beyond sharing…to ownership! Register here.

Michigan State Table Meeting  |  May 16, Lansing

Network member groups working in Michigan are invited to attend the upcoming Michigan State Table meeting on Monday, May 16th from 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. in Lansing. The goal of the meeting is to bring Network members together to set initial direction, shape action, and define ways of working together as we develop the state table to enable ever greater and more equitable climate and energy advances in Michigan. An agenda, additional details, and registration are available here. The deadline to register is May 11th. Please contact Sarah Mullkoff at sarah@environmentalcouncil.org with any questions.

Webinar  |  Rules of the Game: 501(c)3 Engagement in Elections  |  May 17

The RE-AMP Organizing Hub invites you to join the second webinar in its Civic Engagement Webinar Series on May 17th from 11:00 – 12:00 CST. Guest speaker Natalie Roetzel Ossenfort from Alliance for Justice will explain how nonprofits can engage in elections: what you can safely and legally do, what to avoid, and what you need to know before planning any elections-related activities. Natalie will guide you through the major types of c(3) elections work and be on hand to answer your questions about engaging in elections. Register here.

Webinar  |  Our Network Progress & Aspirations  |  May 25

Our Network motto is “Think Systemically, Act Collaboratively.” To that end, our founding goal in 2005 took on the entire energy system as we then understood it. We said we would cut greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector by 80% within 25 years! That goal soon evolved to include 80% reductions across the whole economy by 2050. Our working group structure reflects a systems analysis of how to achieve those emissions reductions. As we’ve updated our understanding of the whole system, working groups have updated their own objectives in service of our North Star 80% reduction goals. So, a decade into this bold experiment, how are we doing? The RE-AMP Dashboard provides a high-level overview, but sometimes we need to see how everything ties together.

Join us on Wednesday, May 25th, from 12:30 – 1:30 CST for a look at the progress we’ve made together, and to get a snapshot of the current objectives across all the working groups. We’ll also look at projections for how the objectives can add up to important 2020 interim achievements. Register here.

Webinar  |  Hosting a Candidate Forum  |  June 7

The RE-AMP Organizing Hub invites you to join the third webinar in its Civic Engagement Webinar Series on June 7th from 11:00 – 12:00 CST. Hosting a candidate forum can be a 501(c)3 activity and a great way to get your issues in front of candidates, educate voters about candidates’ positions on your issues and build relationships with candidates. But as with all things elections-related, there are rules about how to conduct them and protect your (c)3 status at the same time. Attend this webinar to learn about how to host an excellent candidate forum from the experts at the Nonprofit Vote. Register here.

Iowa State Table Meeting  |  June 10

Save the date for the Iowa State Table’s in-person meeting to be held on Friday, June 10th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. CST. Location TBD. Further details will be made available on the Iowa page on the Commons soon.

RE-AMP Annual Meeting  |  Register Today!  |  June 27 – 29, Chicago

Since its founding over a decade ago, the RE-AMP Network has been defined by its ambitious goals and by its innovation around whole-systems change. This approach demands adaptability, and in 2016 we find ourselves in the midst of an exciting transition. As we continue to convene on an issue-by-issue basis to set regional strategy, we’re also working to build state-level climate and energy tables for increased collective impact. This pivotal transition begs the question: How can we strengthen connections across our work at both state and regional levels to achieve our audacious goals?

Attend this year’s annual meeting, Connected for Impact: Building Network Strength for Midwest Climate Action, to help answer this question and amplify the Network’s power and ability to achieve results. The meeting will be held on June 27th, 28th and 29th in Chicago. At the meeting, Network members will work together to:

• Align goals and strategies across state and regional work to build Network strength
• Find intersections between our policy work and movement building goals
• Discuss practices that will help us advance equity within our climate advocacy
• Strengthen our connections between one another and to the Network

Online registration is now open. We encourage you to register and book your lodging at your earliest convenience, as our room block will only be available through May 31st. We look forward to announcing our keynote speakers and providing session descriptions as soon as they are available; in the meantime, see the Annual Meeting page on the Commons for a tentative meeting agenda and additional logistics information. We hope to see you in Chicago!

— Campaign Updates — 

Otter Tail Power Rate Case Denied!

On Thursday, May 5th the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously (5-0) to adopt Fresh Energy’s recommendation in CenterPoint Energy’s rate case to deny both the company’s request and the Administrative Law Judge’s recommendation to increase the residential customer charge. The company was seeking to increase the charge from $9.50 to $11.75 per month. CenterPoint is Minnesota’s largest gas utility, and this marks the second rate case in a row where the Commission has denied a utility’s request to increase the customer charge (one electric utility, one natural gas utility). Though advocates don’t expect a written order for a some time, you can read more about the ruling here.

With support from the Energy Efficiency Rapid Response Fund, staff from Fresh Energy, a Network member organization, provided testimony in the case that drove the Commission’s decision, arguing that the increase discouraged energy conservation and was duplicative with the company’s existing full decoupling mechanism, among other points. Fresh Energy is doubling down on its efforts in Otter Tail’s rate case to continue Minnesota’s leadership in bucking the national trend of utility fixed charge increases.

Network Member Iowa Interfaith Power & Light Celebrates Earth Day

Advocates celebrate at the April 23rd Earth Day walk and rally in Des Moines, Iowa.

In celebration of Earth Day 2016, Network member organization Iowa Interfaith Power and Light (Iowa IPL) coordinated three events in Iowa:

The first was a faith, climate, and agriculture event at Northwestern College, a religiously conservative school located in Orange City, Iowa. Iowa IPL partnered with Center for Rural Affairs and Environmental Law & Policy Center (also RE-AMP members) and Young Evangelicals for Climate Action on a forum to highlight the impacts of climate change on agriculture and show how faith requires action. It was an attempt to frame the conversation in a new way for rural communities.

Iowa IPL also released its Statement by Religious Leaders in Iowa on Global Climate Change. The statement received tremendous support with 140 clergy signing on. In fact, it was the longest-ever list of signatures! Iowa IPL held a press conference on Earth Day to highlight its significance.

Then on Saturday, April 23rd, Iowa IPL partnered with several local groups in Des Moines, including Iowa Wind Energy Association and the Iowa Solar Trade Association, on a Earth Day walk and rally. The event brought together non-traditional partners for a day of fun and climate advocacy.

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The Network is at its best when members actively share stories and learnings. Share yours by contacting Jessica Conrad at jessica@reamp.org or by phone at 509-254-1477.