Just Solutions Launches New National Effort to Support Our State Partners
August 5, 2025 – For tens of millions of households, the energy bill isn’t just another expense: it determines if the lights stay on or the fridge keeps medicine cold. And in communities across the country, the squeeze is getting tighter. Utility rates have climbed faster than inflation for years, volatile fossil-fuel prices impact customers’ monthly bills, and outdated grid investments keep piling costs onto those who can least afford them.
While rates were rising long before this Congress stepped foot in the Capitol, federal rollbacks have only poured fuel on the fire. The federal budget reconciliation bill passed by Republicans will disproportionately harm environmental justice and frontline communities from the combined effects of deep cuts to safety net programs, the rapid expansion of the immigration police state, as well as a partial reversal of key parts of the Inflation Reduction Act. The bill eliminates crucial tools for states to lower bills by gutting clean-energy tax credits and rescinding funds for the Low Emissions Electricity Program.
But in the absence of federal solutions, states can—and should—step up and lead. Governors, utility commissions, and legislatures control rate design, shut-off protections, and community-energy programs that can ease the burden. For instance, Washington State launched the new State Home Energy Assistance Program (SHEAP) last fall, steering $35 million in state dollars toward bill credits and weatherization upgrades for low-income households. The country needs more states to lead the way.
Energy affordability is core to Just Solutions’ mission. It sits at the intersection of climate justice, racial equity, and economic security. High energy costs don’t merely strain household budgets; they deepen inequality, undermine health, and push families further from stability. Our work is rooted in the leadership of communities who are hit first and worst by these compounding burdens, and we believe that they must lead in the design and implementation of solutions. Addressing affordability isn’t separate from building a clean-energy future; rather, it’s how we ensure that future is accessible, equitable, and durable. So together, we’ll support advocates as they advance state policies that:
- Protect households based on ability to pay with strategies such as percentage-of-income payment plans and year-round shut-off bans.
- Drive down costs using decarbonization tools like community solar and deep efficiency retrofits.
- Re-align utility business models so savings become the performance metric that matters.
Over the next 12 months, we will support our state partners as they turn their ideas into solutions by:
Over the next 12 months, we will support our state partners as they turn their ideas into solutions by:
Energy isn’t a luxury: it powers health, safety, and resilience. Follow Just Solutions’ national effort – Affording Our Energy Future: States Lead the Way – to make energy affordable for all. Together, we can drive and scale just solutions!
About Just Solutions
Just Solutions is a national climate organization that partners with communities disproportionately impacted by climate change to turn their priorities and ideas into policies and laws. Our goal is to broaden and deepen the understanding and implementation of equitable and effective climate policies and programs at a scale and pace that match the urgency of the climate crisis. Learn more at our website, justsolutionscollective.org.