Jan 27, 2022

The Honorable Jennifer M. Granholm

US Department of Energy

1000 Independence Ave. SW

Washington DC 20585

Dear Secretary Granholm:

The Department of Energy, through the newly created Office of Clean Energy Demonstration, is poised to provide billions in public subsidies for carbon capture, hydrogen, and nuclear energy. These dirty energy subsidies will perpetuate a legacy of pollution and the acts of environmental injustices brought about by the fossil fuel and nuclear industries on Indigenous, Black, Brown, AAPI and working-class communities, while undermining efforts to address the climate crisis. 

We are very concerned that the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board’s meeting on Jan 25 did not directly and specifically address the harms that fossil fuel and nuclear subsidies will have on frontline communities or the climate. We are further concerned that the public speaking time was only 15 minutes and did not adequately allot time to hear directly from the people these projects will harm. It is hard to imagine the SEAB will be able to meet their responsibility as advisors without having meaningful input from the public.

As community members and leaders who have serious concerns about these projects and the impacts they will have on our communities and the climate, we ask you to ensure DOE starts taking the concerns of frontline communities seriously. You can start by directing the SEAB to ensure meaningful input from the public by, including one on one meetings with impacted communities in SEAB subcommittee meetings and in future SEAB public meetings. Therefore, we demand inclusion of Indigenous and frontline communities to be represented on the SEAB. We further ask you to commit to ensuring the use of public funds from DOE will take a comprehensive look at the impacts of these projects on communities, and ensure no funding goes to projects that will perpetuate these harms. 

Sincerely,

Original Signatories:

Indigenous Environmental Network

Institute for Policy Studies Climate Policy Program

Food & Water Watch

Friends of the Earth

Additional Organizational Signatories:

198 methods

350 Eugene

350 Seattle

350 Silicon Valley

350.org

350Hawaii

Accelerate Neighborhood Climate Action

Action Center on Race and the Economy

Alliance for Affordable Energy

Animals Are Sentient Beings, Inc.

Athens County’s Future Action Network, acfan.org

Berks Gas Truth

Better Path Coalition

Beyond Extreme Energy

Businesses for a Livable Climate

CatholicNetwork US

Center for Biological Diversity

Citizen Power, Inc

Citizens for Clean Air and Water in Brazoria County 

Clean Energy Action 

Climate Hawks Vote

Climate Justice Alliance

CO Businesses for a Livable Climate

Colorado Call to Action

Community for Sustainable Energy

Concerned Health Professionals of New York

Council on Intelligent Energy & Conservation Policy 

Dakota Rural Action

Dakota Rural Action

Earth Action, Inc. 

Earth Day Initiative

Earthworks

ecoAmerica

Education, Economics, Environmental, Climate and Health Organization (EEECHO)

Empower our Future 

Extinction Rebellion San Francisco Bay Area

Georgia Interfaith Power and Light

Global Witness

Grassroots Global Justice Alliance

Great Plains Action Society

Green Education and Legal Fund

Greenpeace USA

Health Care Without Harm

Honor the Earth

I-70 Citizens Advisory Group

Indigenous Peoples of the Coastal Bend

Indivisible Ambassadors

Indivisible Colorado

JAPRI Community Programs

Jewish

Just Transition Alliance

LOUISIANA BUCKET BRIGADE

Madhvi4EcoEthics

Mayfair Park Neighborhood Association Board

Mental Health & Inclusion Ministries

Midwest Building decarbonization coalition 

Montbello Neighborhood Improvement Association

NAACP

New Mexico Environmental Law Center

NJ State Industrial Union Council

North American Climate, Conservation and Environment(NACCE)

North Range Concerned Citizens

Oil Change International

Our Climate

Partnership for Policy Integrity

Physicians for Social Responsibility Iowa Chapter

Port Arthur Community Action Network(PACAN)

Pueblo Action Alliance

RapidShift Network

San Francisco Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility

Save EPA

SEE (Social Eco Education)

Small Business Alliance

System Change Not Climate Change

Terra Advocati

The Green House Connection Center

Tucker hill farm

Turtle Island Restoration Network

Unite North Metro Denver

United Methodist Women

Wall of Women

Waterspirit, Ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace

Western Slope Businesses for a Livable Climate

Williams

Wilwerding Consulting, Co-Chair, Littleton Business Alliance

Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN)

Womxn from the Mountain

Youth Emergency Auxiliary Service Sierra Leone (YEAS-SL)

Unaffiliated Frontline Leaders

Jessica Wiskus, Lisbon, Iowa

Karmin McShane, Central City, Iowa

Judy Grethen, Estherville Iowa

Michael Daly, Lisbon, Iowa

Carol Daly, Lisbon Iowa

Charles E Henkel, Norfolk, NE

Mahmud Fitil, Omaha, NE

Ellen E Barfield, Baltimore, Maryland

Sally Jane Gellert, Woodcliff Lake, NJ

Clifford D.Neal , Mount Vernon Iowa 

Patrice Sutton, MPH San Francisco, CA

Caitlyn Campagna, Mount Vernon, Iowa 

Robin Williams, Upper Marlboro, MD