A critical local election in the sunniest state 🌅 with Clara Pratte

This week and next we’ve got two episodes for you, all four are conversations with climate candidates — running for local office, for governor, and for congress. In other words, a sampling of people we’d love to be calling the shots in the halls of power, and a glimpse of the good changes they would lead us toward. Home stretch to Election Day, Earthlings. 🌎 Get involved — no regrets on Nov 4th!

Our guest this episode is Clara Pratte, candidate for Arizona Corporation Commission (aka Public Utility Commission (PUC), aka undersung local government entity that’s actually extremely important to the clean energy transition... as this episode explains).

Clara is an Arizona-born member of the Navajo Nation, and champion of energy independence and jobs in tribal and rural communities. She is co-founder of Navajo Power (a utility-scale and residential electricity provider) and owner of several small businesses. Clara has also served under three U.S. presidents and four Navajo Nation presidents.

This episode covers everything from the critical roles of PUCs like the Arizona Corporation Commission (including electricity rates and power plant permits, and in some cases drinking water and railroad safety), to ensuring a just clean energy transition in the Navajo Nation, how the sunniest state can embrace solar power, and why it’s critical to vote all the way down the ballot!

[You can preview what your ballot will look like at Ballotpedia.]

Bonus: Listen to the end for Bill’s reactions to more of the clean energy mascot ideas you all submitted for our earlier “Don’t mess with solar” episode with Tom Mattzie.

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Review 🌟 and follow What If We Get It Right? on your platform of choice — that helps get the algorithm on our side so more people find these timely conversations. We’ve released 8 episodes so far, with a bunch more coming through Election Day. Thank you for listening — and sharing. 💛

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Mentioned in this episode

* Arizona Corporation Commission

* Project Blue: proposal for data centers in Tuscon

* Lead Locally: helping elect local climate champions

* The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Credits: This episode was produced by Remoy Philip and me (Ayana), with support from Jenisha Shrestha. Original music by Emma Munger. Graphic design by Holly Griffin of Design Hungry, and social media support from Feeling Seen Studio. And special thanks to Whit Jones from Lead Locally for recommending and connecting us with Clara.

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Phone banking ☎️ w/ Environmental Voter Project

If you don’t know what to do with your election/democracy anxiety, join us for phone banking! Every Wednesday at 12p ET until Election Day (or many other shifts times available). Sign up: environmentalvoter.org/AEJ

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