How we empower frontline leaders with the Energy Justice Community Leaders Program
Participants of our energy justice leadership program visit Verde's Community Solar Project in 2024.
Building energy justice in Oregon
Energy isn’t neutral. For generations, frontline communities have paid the highest price for a profit-driven system. Since 2020, rising energy bills and soaring corporate profits have forced BIPOC and low-income households to spend more of their income just to keep the lights on.
Each rate hike brings impossible choices: pay the utility bill or buy groceries, heat the home or pay for medicine. Energy has become another tool of extraction, draining resources from those hit first and worst by the climate crisis.
The Energy Justice Community Leaders Program (EJCLP) equips frontline communities to fight for an energy system that puts people before profit. At a time when Oregon’s energy system can either keep harming communities or create collective resilience, EJCLP is organizing for lasting change with community leadership at the heart of its work.
What is EJCLP?
Participants in our energy justice leadership program attend the 2024 Oregon CUB Energy Conference.
Utility systems are full of barriers that keep most people out: confusing jargon, complex proceedings, and policies shaped without community input. For frontline communities, the exclusion is even deeper because they face overlapping climate crises, language barriers, and harsher impacts from extreme weather.
Through our advocacy with the Oregon Clean Energy Opportunity Campaign, we saw frontline voices to drive real change. Building on that success, OJTA launched EJCLP in 2022 to help frontline leaders continue to learn about Oregon’s energy system and push for clean, just policies.
Participants gained confidence to speak up, shifting the narrative about who belongs in these decisions and why their lived experience matters. The program continues to grow, building energy justice leaders each year.
How the energy justice programs work
Participants are recruited from communities historically shut out of energy decision-making. They’re paid for their time and expertise, meet regularly to build skills, and learn how to navigate complex utility systems. Together, we work on:
Giving public testimony on rate hikes and policy proposals
Drafting written comments for PUC hearings
Advocating for clean, affordable energy policies and campaigns
Connecting with real-world solutions through field trips and site visits
These programs develop leaders while breaking down barriers, giving those most affected by the energy crisis a pathway to take action. Each program has been collaboration with NW Energy Coalition, Verde, Coalition of Communities of Color, and Multnomah County.
A continuation of this program in 2025
In 2025, we launched a new phase of the Energy Justice Community Leaders Program, building on past successes. This year, participants shared that they want to stay involved and make sure the policies won in previous years are put into action in ways that truly benefit frontline communities.
They spoke up, and we listened. The 2025 cohort is currently in session and includes 20 members from across Oregon who are already participating in Public Utility Commission proceedings and shaping advocacy for future campaigns.
By investing in frontline leadership, EJCLP ensures the people most harmed by the climate crisis are the ones shaping the solutions. This is Just Transition in action: communities building power, rewriting the rules, and making sure energy in Oregon serves people, not corporations.
Help us empower frontline leaders by making a donation.
2024 participants learning how community solar can lower energy bills at Verde's Community Solar Project.
