I want to replace RG&E with a local, community controlled public utility!

I want to replace RG&E with a local, community controlled public utility!

Did you know that we can vote out the foreign-owned corporation that owns and controls RG&E? RG&E is owned by a foreign multinational corporation called Iberdrola that extracts over $120 million in profits from our region every year. Rochester for Energy Democracy (RED) is Metro Justice’s campaign to replace foreign-owned RG&E in Rochester or Monroe County into a not for profit, locally controlled public utility.

RG&E's track record speaks volumes—surprise billing, exorbitant rates and shut offs, terrible customer service, and rising rates have plagued our community for far too long. In addition to being unresponsive to the needs of city residents, RG&E has all but ignored the impending climate crisis, continued to invest in fossil fuels, and lobbied against green energy policies. It's time for change.

  

 

4,562 signatures

By signing this petition, I support the call to replace RG&E with a locally owned and community controlled public utility that meets the needs of our communities instead of serving the greed of distant investors and CEOs. I want a public utility based on the principles of energy democracy:

  • Affordable Rates,
  • Local investment of ratepayer dollars to prioritize customer service and a reliable grid, 
  • A fast and equitable transition to zero greenhouse gas emissions, 
  • More good paying union jobs and a just transition for fossil fuel energy workers, 
  • Public ownership of the utility, where it is run by value-aligned general management and its current employees, governed by an elected Board of Directors, and has a real say for ratepayers. 

In particular, I call on elected leaders to take the first step and study whether and how a public utility could meet these goals.

Will you sign?

  • Zachary Barnes
    signed 2025-04-22 00:37:25 -0400
    RGE shouldn’t be allowed to exist. Their practices are abhorrent and their policies backwards.
  • Victoria Folsom
    signed 2025-04-21 18:33:08 -0400
  • Kathleen Blair
    signed 2025-04-21 12:30:08 -0400
  • William Dickinson
    signed 2025-04-20 21:02:42 -0400
  • Brendan Keegan
    signed 2025-04-20 20:15:04 -0400
  • Yvana Melendez
    signed 2025-04-20 18:41:43 -0400
  • Shawn Dufrene
    signed 2025-04-20 15:39:05 -0400
    I owe RGE almost $3k because of mistakes they made on my account. I’ll be paying them for almost 19 years if I follow their plans.
  • Rachel Scott
    signed 2025-04-20 10:16:19 -0400
  • Kate Rogers
    signed 2025-04-20 08:19:46 -0400
  • David Johnson
    signed 2025-04-19 22:10:13 -0400
  • Peter Ozog
    signed 2025-04-19 20:58:01 -0400
  • Mark Bilous
    signed 2025-04-19 20:51:59 -0400
    Exhausted with the open practices of corruption by a local utility company that views it’s users as nothing more than dollar signs. It’s disgusting and needs to end.
  • Kree Cuthbert
    signed 2025-04-19 11:11:58 -0400
  • Sue Ann Dunford
    signed 2025-04-18 17:11:05 -0400
  • William Dickerson
    signed 2025-04-18 15:31:56 -0400
  • Alexis Fox
    signed 2025-04-18 14:17:08 -0400
  • Robert Allen
    signed 2025-04-18 13:37:51 -0400
  • Nate Brocato
    signed 2025-04-18 13:27:10 -0400
  • David Rybka
    signed 2025-04-18 12:44:11 -0400
  • Amanda Quayle
    signed 2025-04-17 18:22:07 -0400
  • Lena Strickner
    signed 2025-04-17 10:28:55 -0400
  • Sharon Lazzara
    signed 2025-04-17 08:41:05 -0400
  • Pamela Ragusa
    signed 2025-04-16 21:01:21 -0400
  • Deanna Cahill
    signed 2025-04-16 20:42:38 -0400
  • Janet Siegel
    signed 2025-04-16 19:26:22 -0400
  • Chloe Quinkert
    signed 2025-04-16 17:49:05 -0400
  • Benjamin Schollnick
    signed 2025-04-16 17:38:59 -0400
  • Meredith Roman
    signed 2025-04-16 14:56:21 -0400
  • Janet Marshall
    signed 2025-04-15 19:35:32 -0400
  • Andrew Muscarella
    signed 2025-04-15 12:21:13 -0400

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