Resolution Furthers MCE’s Energy Equity Values
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 16, 2021
MCE Press Contact:
Jenna Famular, Marketing & Communications Manager
(925) 378-6747 | jfamular@mcecleanenergy.org
SAN RAFAEL and CONCORD, Calif. — On May 20, 2021, MCE’s Board of Directors approved Resolution No 2021-04 Committing to Advance Racial Equity. This decision further solidifies MCE’s long-standing commitment to deepen and foster prominent equity values into the agency’s work. The resolution acknowledges the persistence of institutionalized racial inequities and seeks to address them by continuously improving and implementing inclusive policies across the organization. One key pathway identified in the resolution is to deepen our efforts to systematically incorporate diverse voices and feedback from customers and community-based organizations that are conducting valuable racial equity work.
The resolution also states that MCE will continue to work toward more equitable outcomes in energy services, customer programs, and power procurement by recruiting racial equity organizations and engaging with them through the Community Power Coalition. MCE will continue to provide agency wide training to educate employees on implicit bias and racial equity with a goal to enhance internal and external policies, practices, and programs that dismantle racial disparities.
“We are proud of what MCE has accomplished over the last ten years and acknowledge the unique opportunity MCE has as a local government agency to be aligned with and directed by elected community members.” said Dawn Weisz, MCE CEO. “We also recognize that an enormous joint effort is needed if we are to successfully address the historic legacies of racism that influence institutionalized power. This resolution is just one additional step MCE is taking to address energy equity in our service area.”
As part of this resolution, MCE will join the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), a networking and joint project of the new Race Forward and the Othering and Belonging Institute, to better align our policies and programs with best practices for multi-jurisdictional government agencies.
MCE’s past energy equity efforts include:
- Our Sustainable Workforce and Diversity Policy,
- Prevailing wage and local hire requirements on projects build within MCE’s service area,
- Financial support of local workforce development agencies including RichmondBUILD, Rising Sun Center for Opportunity, Future Build, Marin City Community Development Corporation, and GRID Alternatives,
- Creation of, and ongoing relationship building with environmental and environmental justice advocacy groups within our Community Power Coalition,
- Development and facilitation of the CalCCA Environmental Justice and Equity Working Group,
- Formation of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team in January of 2020,
- Engagement with women-, minority-, LGBT-, and disabled-veteran owned businesses through our Supplier Diversity efforts, and
- Income-qualified energy efficiency, electric vehicle, and solar rebate programs.
MCE will continue to learn from the example set by our member communities in their efforts to advance racial equity. Contra Costa County, City of Martinez, City of Pleasant Hill, City of Richmond, City of San Pablo, County of Marin, Town of Fairfax, City of Mill Valley, City of Novato, Town of San Anselmo, City of San Rafael, City of Sausalito, Napa County, City of Napa, City of St. Helena, Solano County, City of Benicia, and City of Vallejo have all taken steps towards racial equity in their community.
Read the resolution in full here.
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About MCE: As California’s first Community Choice Aggregation Program, MCE is a groundbreaking, not-for-profit, public agency that has been setting the standard for energy innovation in our communities since 2010. MCE offers cleaner power at stable rates, significantly reducing energy-related greenhouse emissions and enabling millions of dollars of reinvestment in local energy programs. MCE is a load-serving entity supporting a 1,200 MW peak load. MCE provides electricity service to more than 540,000 customer accounts and more than one million residents and businesses in 36 member communities across four Bay Area counties: Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, and Solano. For more information about MCE, visit mceCleanEnergy.org, or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.
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