{"674876":{"#nid":"674876","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Public Policy Alum Plays Key Role in Atlanta Energy-Burden Fund ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMatt Cox\u003C\/strong\u003E, a 2014 Ph.D. graduate of the School of Public Policy, \u003Cstrong\u003Eplayed an instrumental role \u003C\/strong\u003Ein advancing recent City of Atlanta legislation to help reduce energy burden among low-income residents.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhy tackling energy burden is important: \u003C\/strong\u003EAtlanta is among the nation\u2019s five most energy-burdened cities.\u003Cstrong\u003E \u003C\/strong\u003EIf the program performs as advocates expect, it \u201ccould be the most impactful climate and energy policy Atlanta has adopted,\u201d says Cox, who as CEO of non-profit Greenlink Analytics uses his \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/spp.gatech.edu\/graduate\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech education\u003C\/a\u003E to find and advocate for equitable climate and energy policies across the Southeast.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis program will ensure that no resident must choose between food on the table and heating or cooling their homes, making a tangible difference in our community,\u201d City Councilwoman Liliana Bakhtiari said in a statement.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EHigh energy burden in Atlanta disproportionately affects the city\u2019s Black residents, according to Cox and School of Public Policy from \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cepl.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/attachments\/EE%20Phase%201_4-13-18.pdf\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E2018\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/news\/item\/673597\/public-policy-research-powers-sierra-club-report-black-energy-burden\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E2024\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EImproving energy efficiency is also a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bloomsbury.com\/us\/green-savings-9781440831201\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Esmart way\u003C\/a\u003E to address climate change, School of Public Policy researchers \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/news\/item\/673567\/civic-data-analysis-finds-opportunity-federal-energy-efficiency-initiatives\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Esay\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECox worked with former Clean Energy Advisory Board Chairwoman Wykeisha Howe to win backing for the energy burden measure. \u0022We discussed the matter with every council member, emphasizing the necessity of creating a fund to finance essential home improvements that would relieve unnecessarily high bills.\u0022 he said. \u0022We explained the constraints of federal funding, which often resulted in only partial assistance for many households.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDue in part to Cox\u2019s work, almost every City Council member supported the bill.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOf note\u003C\/strong\u003E: Cox, who helped develop the energy analytics platform used by Greenlink while a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/community\/alumni-success\/matt-cox\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EPh.D. student\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech, worked on a similar program for Athens, Georgia.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKey context\u003C\/strong\u003E: Helping reduce climate change impacts is a key goal of the School. For instance, Regents\u2019 Professor Marilyn A. Brown recently helped Georgia \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/news\/2023\/11\/28\/georgia-tech-help-develop-states-first-climate-action-plan\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ecreate\u003C\/a\u003E its first-ever climate action plan. Professor Daniel Matisoff recently won an award for his \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/comm.iac.gatech.edu\/news\/item\/670015\/public-policy-faculty-takes-home-major-appam-award-second-time-three-years\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ework\u003C\/a\u003E on the benefits of green building pilot programs. And educating a new generation of sustainable energy leaders is the mission of the School\u2019s innovative \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/spp.gatech.edu\/masters\/mseem\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EMaster of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Management\u003C\/a\u003E degree.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA Ph.D. graduate of the School of Public Policy played an instrumental role in advancing recent City of Atlanta legislation to help reduce energy burden among low-income residents.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A Ph.D. graduate of the School of Public Policy played an instrumental role in advancing recent City of Atlanta legislation to help reduce energy burden among low-income residents. "}],"uid":"34600","created_gmt":"2024-05-23 18:34:48","changed_gmt":"2024-05-23 18:37:55","author":"mpearson34","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-05-23T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-05-23T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"674068":{"id":"674068","type":"image","title":"matt cox.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EMatt Cox, Ph.D. PubPol 2014, played an instrumental role in recent passage of Atlanta legislatiion meant to reduce the energy burden on Atlanta residents.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1716489316","gmt_created":"2024-05-23 18:35:16","changed":"1716489517","gmt_changed":"2024-05-23 18:38:37","alt":"\u0022\u0022","file":{"fid":"257537","name":"matt cox.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/05\/23\/matt%20cox.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/05\/23\/matt%20cox.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":288361,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/05\/23\/matt%20cox.jpg?itok=eNSytIqR"}}},"media_ids":["674068"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1289","name":"School of Public Policy"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"},{"id":"39511","name":"Public Service, Leadership, and Policy"}],"news_room_topics":[],"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\u003EIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}