Our Mission
Who we are
The Energy and Policy Institute is a watchdog organization that exposes the harms posed by fossil-fuel and monopoly utility interests to ratepayers, democracy, and the climate.
Our Mission
The United States needs to power our economy with clean energy to address the climate crisis, and we have the tools to do that right now: Renewable energy sources like wind and solar power are less expensive than fossil fuels. Energy-efficiency programs and technologies save customers money and speed up the transition to clean energy. Switching buildings and vehicles from burning oil and gas to clean electricity lowers bills and protects our health.
But coal, gas, and monopoly utility interests are fighting to stop the adoption of more affordable and cleaner energy to protect their profits. EPI works to expose those attacks.
Our Work
EPI shines a light on the ways that fossil-fuel companies and utilities are harming customers and slowing the transition to clean energy.
We investigate how utilities use their lobbying machines to grow their profits at the expense of families’ well-being and prosperity. We unmask the front groups set up by fossil fuel interests to buy politicians’ loyalty or spread propaganda to block the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable economy.
Our work challenges the unfair systems and policies that have forced communities of color and poor people to bear the greatest impacts of our energy system. From the siting of polluting infrastructure in Black and Indigenous communities, to the energy burden that falls hardest on poor and working people via high utility bills and utility disconnections, to the disproportionate effects of climate change, we know that our rigged energy systems do the worst harm to marginalized communities.
Our findings inform community leaders, consumer advocates, environmentalists and others so that they have the insight they need to hold corporations and politicians accountable, and to create a cleaner and fairer energy system.
At EPI we value humility, which is why we can acknowledge our organization’s current lack of racial diversity. We’re developing a more robust talent pipeline to help our team gain more diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion makes us better watchdogs and allies to communities working for a fair, just energy system.
Funding
The Energy and Policy Institute is a non-profit organization funded by contributions from charitable foundations that support climate action and environmental conservation. We do not receive funding from corporations, trade associations or governments.
Get In touch
Want to schedule an interview with one of our staff members? Do you have a question or want to provide information? Contact us.