Energy Equity Project (EEP) is widely known for its work supporting frontline organizations in pursuit of their own visions of community-controlled energy. So the news that EEP is wading into the morass of reality TV may come as a surprise. I sat down with the EEP team to discuss what sparked this shift in strategy and what they hope to achieve.
NewsWink: How did you come up with the idea for the show? Do you really think you can make utility regulation appealing to the masses?
EEP: On the surface, I get it – you wouldn’t think talking about how we plan and manage 5.5 million miles of wires, 180 million poles, 3,000 utilities, and generate a few petawatt hours (1 with 15 zeroes after it) of electricity every year from nearly 40,000 power plants could be exciting.
The infrastructure numbers are just too big for anyone with a pulse to care about. But here’s where it gets spicy, sexy even–when it comes to how the utilities are regulated–or not regulated. There are just 200 people in the country who approve the operations and investments of the investor-owned monopoly utilities that serve 70 percent of Americans. They control about one billion each in energy investments annually. This made us think of shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Secret Lives of the Super Rich. There are clear parallels that made us think that a show about utility regulation might just be perfect for Hollywood.
NewsWink: Ok, maybe, but that’s still quite a leap. Can you say more that might convince someone who is furrowing their brows that Regulators should be on their future watch list?
EEP: Absolutely. Look, producing a reality TV show turns out to be the easiest path to the presidency, is it not?
We’ve tried to go toe to toe in utility rate cases, but we have neither the hard power nor the soft power to really influence many decisions. Or if we do get a win, we know it’s likely just a matter of time before there’s a rollback or people get tired of energy equity or say it’s discriminatory or whatever. If we want to fix the utility system, being able to go gangbusters with executive orders looks like the best course of action. Ordinarily I would keep these details closer to the vest, but because integrity and transparency are core values of EEP, we’re compelled to put all of our cards on the table face up.
NewsWink: Alright… Let’s come back down to reality, hah hah. Without giving away too much, tell us about some of the spice viewers will see in the first season.
EEP: Oh, it gets real fast. Speaking of the presidency, there’s a new president at the national regulators association who is big on this “exciting era in our nation” we’ve been experiencing since January 20th. This is the one who leads that network of 200 people who are essentially the senators or the high court justices of the energy system. Well, the series opens with a clip of her texting with a conspirator, putting a big red bullseye around the address of an opponent. So get this, she gerrymanders her own district, then manages to get the entire state of Georgia to cancel the Commissioner elections. Now she’s getting all buddy buddy with the MAGA federal appointees. Full disclosure, in a lot of cases, we don’t have the actual film footage, so we’re doing really spot-on re-enactments.
Text chain Image from Atlanta Journal-Constitution Article. District Images pulled from The Current article.
NewsWink: Wow, you’re painting a pretty dismal picture of the people in charge of our energy system.
EEP: Sure, that’s maybe the default, but we do devote a serious chunk of each episode to the heroes working within the system. Commissioner Gillett, CT, who is working to lay down the hammer. Chairman Scott in IL, who made a brave decision to oppose his own staff in approving a discount credit that would ensure no one has an unaffordable energy bill. The LADWP board that voted to make shutoffs nearly impossible. The team in CO who have done an exemplary job coordinating an open equity docket. The everyday people who have testified and showed up at public meetings to demand better. Highlighting the agency and commitment of people is a big part of the show, too.
NewsWink: Is there anything else that I didn’t ask about that you want to share?
EEP: Yes, just one last tidbit. We were told by our producers that despite our best efforts, the likely audience was still trending toward energy wonks, which is the exact opposite of our intent. They asked if we could do something to make the show more fun, you know, introduce villains and competition, stuff like that. Our first thought was along the lines of “Naked and afraid” – you know, like utilities should be more naked and afraid of the people. But then we settled on a version that’s kind of like a cross between American Gladiators and Survivor.
We’re going to pit people from impacted communities against their utility execs and their regulators in events like jousting. But here’s the catch–unlike the standard David vs. Goliath dynamics in the real utility system, we’re going to handicap the bad guys. Ever try jousting with one arm tied behind your back and your ankles handcuffed? CEO’s making $60 million who literally danced on the eve of manslaughter convictions from deaths they caused from wildfires might end up in a roiling sludge pit teeming with crocodiles and piranhas. The blood and stuff you see will of course be AI generated by all those shiny new data centers the ratepayers are funding. Wait, right? *whispering among the team* Well, we’ll figure it out. But expect every episode to go out with a bang!
NewsWink: Can’t wait to tune in. Thanks so much for your extreme candor (TMI if you ask me) and your efforts to um, win over the people about the ills of the energy system. Regulators Gettin’ Real premiers next Tuesday at 8:00PM. EEP ethics prevent it from receiving royalties, but the organization invites you to donate or to get involved in your local energy equity campaign.
This article speaks to my soul. I often think about how to make energy regulation engaging for the general public, and a Heroes vs. Villains season of the Regulators sounds like precisely what this country needs right now.