Community-Defined Decarbonization

About The Project

Community-Defined Decarbonization: Reflecting Rural and Tribal Desires for an Equitable Clean Energy Transition in Washington had two goals: (1) to understand the barriers to decarbonizing buildings for the state’s rural and Tribal low-income, energy-burdened households, and (2) to determine whether decarbonization strategies and clean energy development could address energy inequities in these communities.

The CETI team engaged in both qualitative and quantitative research to develop the Community-Defined Decarbonization project. Ultimately, we learned that building decarbonization cannot be advanced without addressing the fundamental inequity that exists in Washington’s rural and Tribal housing sector, as well as the energy burden that low-income rural and Tribal households face.

We are grateful to the rural and Tribal community leaders who generously shared their experiences and ideas throughout this project’s development. We hope that this report makes a compelling case for state and federal funders to invest in additional administrative capacity for rural and Tribal communities so that energy insecurity and housing challenges can be addressed equitably. Further, our work emphasizes the importance of community involvement in decision making, especially as it relates to the energy transition.