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.

  

 

3,528 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?

  • Ken Durham
    signed 2025-10-20 02:58:05 -0400
  • Chelsea Pappa
    signed 2025-10-20 01:46:42 -0400
  • Eira Brand
    signed 2025-10-20 01:15:43 -0400
  • Noah Carver
    signed 2025-10-20 00:22:14 -0400
  • Sahara Mallery
    signed 2025-10-20 00:18:04 -0400
  • William Muench
    signed 2025-10-19 23:49:44 -0400
  • Rachel Leotta
    signed 2025-10-19 23:41:47 -0400
  • Vincent Presciutti
    signed 2025-10-19 23:40:16 -0400
    I don’t have anything clever to say. Fuck RG&E and their de facto monopoly.
  • Tylor Lehman
    signed 2025-10-19 23:35:30 -0400
  • Timothy O'Connor
    signed 2025-10-19 22:37:05 -0400
  • Rachel Sudore
    signed 2025-10-19 22:27:19 -0400
  • Derek Talross
    signed 2025-10-19 22:19:07 -0400
  • Meghan Rappleye
    signed 2025-10-19 21:28:53 -0400
  • Stephanie Graham
    signed 2025-10-19 21:09:24 -0400
  • Melinda Lintz
    signed 2025-10-19 20:45:06 -0400
  • Ian Topping
    signed 2025-10-19 19:57:56 -0400
    My prices have been basically arbitrary for years despite sending them in every month like clockwork. Nothing has changed yet the bill goes up $100, ridiculous.
  • Jose Sanchez
    signed 2025-10-19 19:49:40 -0400
  • Brianna McIntosh
    signed 2025-10-19 19:45:47 -0400
  • Matthew Ehlers
    signed 2025-10-19 19:30:41 -0400
  • Josh Preston
    signed 2025-10-19 19:30:38 -0400
  • Greg Issak
    signed 2025-10-19 19:24:42 -0400
  • Charles DiNottia
    signed 2025-10-19 18:59:08 -0400
  • Lexi Hubbel
    signed 2025-10-19 18:44:11 -0400
  • Matthew Scarlata
    signed 2025-10-19 18:37:13 -0400
    Why should we have to foot the bill of these giant server centers overtaxing the grid so then that hits the small people. Fairport electric in comparison is so much lower in price. I don’t want to see record break profits or CEO raises when they don’t have an excuse for inconsistent billing and excessive price gouging.
  • Noah Peters
    signed 2025-10-19 18:35:12 -0400
    We’d all be better off without RG&E, I remember when my parents were fighting with them!
  • Philip Kruse
    signed 2025-10-19 18:25:36 -0400
  • Stephanie Barrett
    signed 2025-10-19 18:25:35 -0400
  • Brandon Peterson
    signed 2025-10-19 18:13:24 -0400
  • Joshua Sacks
    signed 2025-10-19 17:59:22 -0400
  • J C
    signed 2025-10-19 17:51:38 -0400

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