Michigan City Generating Station Closure: Environmental Implications and Community Benefits

Client: Just Transition Northwest Indiana (JTNWI)

Authors: Bryndis Woods, PhD, Deja Garraway, Lila McNamee, Sumera Patel, Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD

December 2024

On behalf of Just Transition Northwest Indiana (JTNWI), AEC assessed the retirement of Michigan City Generating Station (MCGS)—a 93-year-old coal-fired power plant located on the southern shore of Lake Michigan in Michigan City, Indiana. AEC's report presents the environmental and community impacts of MCGS' retirement, outlines opportunities for just and equitable redevelopment of the MCGS site, presents eight related case studies of coal plant redevelopment efforts, and makes five recommendations for a just transition for Michigan City to ensure that the communities most impacted by MCGS’ operations benefit from redevelopment. 

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Affordable Housing and Energy Resilience in Lynn, Massachusetts: Community Land Trusts and Microgrids

Client: Neighbor to Neighbor

Authors: Deja Garraway, Lila McNamee, Sumera Patel, and Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD

July 2024

On behalf of Neighbor to Neighbor, Researcher Deja Garraway, Research Assistant Lila McNamee, Assistant Researcher Sumera Patel, and Principal Economist Liz Stanton, PhD prepared a report discussing the potential benefits of community land trusts and community microgrids in the City of Lynn, Massachusetts. In particular, AEC finds that community land trusts and microgrids provide an opportunity to improve affordable housing outcomes for low-to-moderate income communities in the City of Lynn by, for example, supporting more permanent affordable housing, encouraging community empowerment and counteracting gentrification-induced displacement.

AEC offers four recommendations for Lynn communities to take ownership of their electric production, create long-term sustainable housing options, and provide homeownership opportunities for low- and moderate-income communities:

1. Promote awareness and knowledge of the community land trust and microgrid models,

2. Build capacity by providing funding to bring projects to scale,

3. Promote the development of affordable housing options with land acquisition, and

4. Foster long-term sustainability of community land trusts and microgrids.

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Illinois Adult Use Cannabis Industry Disparity Study

Client: Illinois Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office

Authors: Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD, Bryndis Woods, PhD, Tanya Stasio, PhD, Jordan Burt, Deja Garraway, Nayantara Biswas, and Alannah Shute

July 2024

On behalf of the Illinois Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office, AEC assisted the Nerevu Group, LLC in preparing a disparity study to evaluate and assess existing discrimination within the State of Illinois cannabis industry. In particular, AEC staff reviewed public and private data sources to provide utilization, availability, and disparity analyses for the Illinois economy and the Illinois cannabis industry. AEC finds evidence of significant disparities in Illinois business ownership and wages across race/ethnicity and gender. Specifically, AEC finds that, compared to White men, racial and/or ethnic minorities and women are less likely to be business owners and have less access to capital through either hourly wages or bank loans.

To cultivate a more inclusive and equitable industry, Nerevu Group, LLC recommends broadening availability of financing for cannabis businesses, improved data management, consolidating of the Illinois regulatory structure, additional disparity studies, and more industry-state collaboration along with a set of administrative recommendations.

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Distributed Energy Storage: The Missing Piece in North Carolina's Decarbonization Efforts

Client: Clean Energy Group (CEG)

Author: Tanya Stasio, PhD, Elisabeth Seliga, Deja Garraway, Bryndis Woods, PhD, Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD

December 2023

On behalf of the Clean Energy Group (CEG), Researcher Tanya Stasio, Assistant Researcher Elisabeth Seliga, Researcher Deja Torrence, Senior Researcher Bryndis Woods, and Senior Economist Elizabeth A. Stanton prepared a report that identifies distributed energy storage as the missing piece in North Carolina's decarbonization efforts. Distributed energy storage can provide load management to help meet peak electric demand and reduce the need for costly and polluting fossil fuel peaker plants. When paired with solar PV, distributed energy storage batteries can provide clean backup power to improve energy resilience while reducing home energy bills.

To support North Carolina’s decarbonization efforts and equity goals, this report makes three key policy recommendations for increasing incentives and lowering barriers to distributed energy storage deployment:

1. Approve and expand utility deployment of equitable distributed solar and distributed energy storage pilot programs.

2. Create statewide financial incentives for residential and community-based distributed solar and behind-the-meter battery installations.

3. Establish equity, climate, and energy performance-based metrics and targets for electric utilities.

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