Barry Rabe and Sarah Mills of the Ford School part of team that receives 2019 Catalyst Grant

January 25, 2019

Barry Rabe and Sarah Mills of the Ford School constitute the policy arm of the new multidisciplinary project for advancing new sustainability-focused policies that promote renewable energy proposals. Along with Tony Reames of the School for Environment and Sustainability and Kristy Hartman, the current Program Director for the National Conference of State Legislatures, Rabe and Mills will collaborate together for the Expanding the Renewable Energy Policy Initiative.

The project’s objectives include to:

  • Gather state legislators and energy policy researchers to discuss energy justice policies;
  • Conduct and share new research on the role of state-level solar policies and programs in ameliorating or exacerbating racial disparities in access to clean energy technologies;
  • Provide feedback on existing research;
  • Share research findings with policymakers;
  • Secure external funding for sustaining research activities; and
  • Increase policymaker workshop participants, thus allowing greater geographic and political diversity. 

For the above reasons, this reserach initiative is a recipient of one of four Catalyst Grants provided by the Graham Sustainability Institute. The Catalyst Grant provides $10,000 to multi-disciplinary proposals in order to “support collaborative research activities that develop new partnerships or enhance the application of science.”

The Catalyst Grant works to achieve the Graham Sustainability Institute’s mission, which aims to “catalyze and facilitate sustainability-focused collaborative teams involving faculty, students, and external stakeholders” to educate and implement policy at all levels of government.

With the Catalyst Grant’s support, the Expanding the Renewable Energy Policy Initiative will engage in new research, improve upon existing research, and work with state legislators to help shape a new wave of sustainability policies throughout the nation.

Barry Rabe is the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy and the director of the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) at the Ford School. He is also the Arthur Thurnau Professor of Environmental Policy and holds courtesy appointments in the Program in the Environment, the Department of Political Science, and the School for Environment and Sustainability. His research examines climate and energy politics and his newest book, Can We Price Carbon? (MIT Press) was released in spring 2018.

Sarah Mills is a Senior Project Manager at the Ford School's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP). She serves as project manager for the National Surveys on Energy and Environment (NSEE) and the Center's Energy and Environmental Policy Initiative.

To see the other Catalyst Grant recipients, click here.