More than 2,000 communities have formed their own public power utilities, a step that offers governments and citizens more direct control over their electricity generation and policy. Ursula Schryver, vice president of strategic member engagement and education for the American Public Power Association, said the process allows a local community to focus on its priorities, like lowering costs or changing the energy mix rather than being beholden to a shareholder-driven utility. This has become especially important as local governments ramp up their renewable energy and climate commitments, which set benchmarks that investor-owned utilities sometimes struggle to meet.
