AE2C HAILS APPOINTMENT AND US SENATE CONFIRMATION OFJUDY W. CHANGTO THE FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSIONWashington, DC (June 13, 2024) -- Asian Americans in Energy, the Environment and Commerce (AE2C) thanks President Biden for nominating Judy W. Chang as a commissioner to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). AE2C also thanks the U.S. Senate for its vote this week confirming Chang as the first Asian American, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) woman ever to serve at the FERC. “Judy will be an excellent FERC commissioner,” said Robert Gee, president of AE2C. “Her extensive experience in both the public and private sectors of the energy industry will allow her to provide outstanding leadership in energy regulatory and financial issues that profoundly affect all Americans.” The former Undersecretary of Energy and Climate Solutions for Massachusetts, Chang is an energy economist and policy expert with over 20 years’ experience in regulatory and financial issues, particularly as they relate to investment decisions in transmission, clean energy, and storage. Chang has been a valuable resource to AE2C and was a featured speaker in AE2C’s Massachusetts Chapter Launch event in Boston in November 2022. ICYMI -- AE2C's Nod to Women's History MonthThree AE2C women are doing great things in the environmental justice space which fits well into the 2024 national theme - “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.”Jeanette Pablo, Amethyst Roebuck, and Emily Chang are in different stages of their careers, yet have one thing in common – the desire to bring equity and justice to our society. Below are their thoughts and perspectives on environmental justice, energy justice and the Just Transition. We are honored to have them as part of the AE2C family and commend them for their work. Jeanette Pablo: My vision for the future of climate equity is that it becomes central to all climate initiatives. Not just in the U.S. but also globally. The more common term globally is Just Transition. And my vision for Just Transition is that the wide range of definitions become distilled into a single definition which incorporates human rights. The Just Transition cannot simply be about jobs. Historically, major socio-techno-economic transitions have increased the burdens of the most vulnerable. Climate change is about saving the world for everyone and shouldn’t be on the backs of people who are already disenfranchised. When I was invited to join Clean Air Task Force (CATF) it was to lead an entirely new initiative which was to explore how climate organizations and environmental justice organizations can work together to address common concerns even as there are several opposing views on critical issues. It almost seemed to be the perfect intersection between my career expertise and work with vulnerable communities through my volunteerism over the years. You can’t unsee or unknow injustice. It changes you. One way to think about it is your lens changes. You notice things in a new way. Climate equity became my passion, and I am so grateful to CATF for this opportunity and especially their support for my newly formed Climate Equity Foundation. The motivation for the Climate Equity Initiative was that too often proposed climate solutions are developed outside impacted communities and fail to respect the core needs of their residents. As a result, policies, programs, and community engagement initiatives often lack critical success elements, and result in failed climate-beneficial projects, or perpetuate injustice and inequality. I am not an environmental justice leader or expert; I am an analyst. But I really wanted to take on this work and hopefully make an impact. Amethyst Roebuck: I have spent my career working on multiple large infrastructure projects around the country participating in siting activities for these projects and lending a voice from an environmental justice perspective to reduce or eliminate impacts to disadvantage communities. Understanding the communities we serve and bringing local work force into the fold is a mutually beneficial partnership between these projects and society that humanity honestly needs. I am lucky to be in my field within the energy industry, as I am able to see things from other perspectives, have discussions with individuals that are truly being impacted on the ground through town hall events, and participate in workforce development programs within these communities. Being an environmental leader gives me the ability to understand and self-educate regarding issues within these underprivileged communities. Outside of my day-to-day role, I am an advocate for gender equality, participating in the Women in Energy program development team for Western Energy Institute. The program brings awareness and advocacy for women in the energy industry, a predominantly male industry, and provides a forum for women to lift each other up within the energy sector. Each year we come together as partners from all walks of life and are able to be seen, because at the end of the day, equity, no matter which community you are from, is about being seen. We support each other’s challenges and applaud each other’s wins. We provide insight, education, and mentorship to elevate each other.
Jeanette Pablo is the CEO of the Climate Equity Foundation and serves as the Vice President of the National Chapter of AE2C. Emily Chang currently serves as a program manager at National Grid, an investor-owned utility, in the role of a compliance liaison for federally funded awards under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Before this role, she worked in strategizing customer energy management solutions for commercial customers. Ms. Chang’s path to the energy sector and interest in energy equity began while pursuing math, studying systems engineering, and delving into societal impacts of biased mathematical algorithms which reinforced systemic inequality. Originally trained in classical music at Yale, from the beginning of her teaching career, she chose to work in disadvantaged communities with local non-profit agencies. Her vision remains focused on equity in all its systemic manifestations whether in education or energy. Ms. Chang is a member of the AE2C Massachusetts Chapter Steering Committee. |