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.

  

 

4,548 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?

  • Emily Weber
    signed 2022-12-27 14:42:04 -0500
  • Victoria Lund
    signed 2022-12-27 09:40:31 -0500
  • Sherry Vitale
    signed 2022-12-26 08:44:08 -0500
  • Jeff Freier
    signed 2022-12-24 13:59:53 -0500
  • Anthony Freier
    signed 2022-12-24 13:55:02 -0500
  • Jessica Jazari
    signed 2022-12-23 22:00:57 -0500
  • Kathleen Gootee
    signed 2022-12-23 13:30:51 -0500
  • Denise Polito
    signed 2022-12-22 08:32:40 -0500
  • Roy Stone II
    signed 2022-12-21 23:48:58 -0500
    Id like to see RG&E replaced with a public utility so energy can be 100% green by 2030.
  • Emily Eddy
    signed 2022-12-21 15:34:38 -0500
  • Mark Patrick
    signed 2022-12-21 08:24:46 -0500
  • David Bantle
    signed 2022-12-20 13:55:08 -0500
  • Sheena Mazzole
    signed 2022-12-20 13:42:33 -0500
    Bad service
  • Josh Cunningham
    signed 2022-12-20 13:35:16 -0500
  • Suzanne Resnick
    signed 2022-12-20 13:29:11 -0500
  • Kelsey Teetsel
    signed 2022-12-20 13:21:06 -0500
  • Julia Cayer
    signed 2022-12-20 09:35:52 -0500
    RGE has had an unfair monopoly on Rochester for decades, it’s unfair that we have no options and prices are so unjust. I shouldn’t have to pay thousands for heating my house, heat and electricity is a right not a privilege.
  • Pamela Graham
    signed 2022-12-20 03:00:31 -0500
  • Dean Anthony LaBarge
    signed 2022-12-19 19:25:01 -0500
    RG&E being the ONLY option means NO option.
  • Alysha Robertson
    signed 2022-12-19 18:40:42 -0500
  • Bruce Gorman
    signed 2022-12-19 18:04:57 -0500
  • Lalena Parkhurst
    signed 2022-12-19 18:04:03 -0500
  • Maxine Manjos
    signed 2022-12-19 17:50:16 -0500
    All common sense leads to publicly held utilities. Let’s make our utilities work for the benefit of our citizens.
  • Cat Hardesty
    signed 2022-12-19 14:53:15 -0500
  • Karen Pelc
    signed 2022-12-19 13:34:47 -0500
    Looking forward to working with you to make this happen
  • Arthur Mason
    signed 2022-12-19 09:48:04 -0500
  • Nicholas Baldo
    signed 2022-12-19 09:45:52 -0500
    I think this is fantastic. You have my full support. I think we should Nationalize the entire energy grid!
  • Susan Roumpapas
    signed 2022-12-18 09:40:26 -0500
    I, too, am tired of being raped by these corps. run by “the Matrix Masters” – there must be a better way……
  • Charles McLellan
    signed 2022-12-17 16:45:09 -0500
  • David Sell
    signed 2022-12-17 12:50:26 -0500
    100% in favor of making RG&E a public utility. Like hundreds of others, I have had my share of very unpleasant and frustrating experiences with this failure of a company.

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