{"673597":{"#nid":"673597","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Public Policy Research Powers Sierra Club Report on Black Energy Burden in Georgia ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1NfZxqE4xgcTO_ma2UhN67DXCaxhGOadt\/view\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ereport\u003C\/a\u003E prepared by Regents\u2019 Professor Marilyn A. Brown and a team of student researchers from Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Public Policy digs into the causes of energy burden among Georgia\u2019s Black residents.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe study aligns with numerous other studies showing that race alone is a contributing factor to experiencing higher energy burdens. However, the Georgia Tech research findings include data showing that homes with children, older people, or those headed by women were even more at risk. Researchers also found that a 13% increase in an area\u2019s Black population equated to an approximately 1% increase in energy burden.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHouseholds are often considered energy-burdened if they spend more than 6% of their monthly budget on energy, according to the report.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOne thing that sets this Sierra Club report aside from other breakdowns of energy burden across the country is the meticulous description of the conditions and causes of high energy burdens among 33 energy-stressed Black households in Georgia, who were identified and interviewed by community organizations,\u201d Brown said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHistorical trends such as mortgage redlining, highway, and power plant placements, and the effect of deforestation and urban heat islands on urban, predominantly Black communities all play a role in contributing to the unusually high energy costs many Black Georgians end up paying, according to the report.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis isn\u2019t an abstract thing. People are having to choose whether they cool their homes or put food on the table or buy medicine,\u201d said Brown, also Brook Byers Professor of Sustainable Systems.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile the report\u2014parts of which have been published in a peer-reviewed journal and another manuscript under review\u2014makes no policy recommendations, the researchers note that changes to state and federal housing policies are urgently needed.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cImplementing effective policy solutions would not only decrease high energy burdens, bill payment problems, and utility shut-offs, but would also promote the health, safety, and economic vitality of Black families, slash U.S. carbon emissions and build a stronger, more inclusive climate movement,\u201d they wrote.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe report, Energy Burdens of Black Households in Georgia\u201d was published on March 14 by the Sierra Club, which funded the research.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to Brown, Ph.D. students Snehal Kale, Ryan Anthony, and Majid Ahmadi, and alum Ashley Hill, MSEEM 2022, co-authored the report.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe study examines the causes of energy burden among Black residents in Georgia.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The study examines the causes of energy burden among Black residents in Georgia."}],"uid":"34600","created_gmt":"2024-03-19 12:57:46","changed_gmt":"2024-03-21 13:43:21","author":"mpearson34","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-03-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-03-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"673435":{"id":"673435","type":"image","title":"A new study by School of Public Policy researchers for the Sierra Club looks into the causes of energy burden among Black residents of Georgia.","body":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study by School of Public Policy researchers for the Sierra Club looks into the causes of energy burden among Black residents of Georgia.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1710853208","gmt_created":"2024-03-19 13:00:08","changed":"1710853093","gmt_changed":"2024-03-19 12:58:13","alt":"\u0022\u0022","file":{"fid":"256833","name":"AdobeStock_295444027.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/03\/19\/AdobeStock_295444027_0.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/03\/19\/AdobeStock_295444027_0.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3094701,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/03\/19\/AdobeStock_295444027_0.jpeg?itok=XxAUdDKn"}}},"media_ids":["673435"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1289","name":"School of Public Policy"}],"categories":[{"id":"144","name":"Energy"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"},{"id":"39511","name":"Public Service, Leadership, and Policy"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71901","name":"Society and Culture"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EMichael Pearson\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["michael.pearson@iac.gateche.du"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}