The Resilient Energy Economies Initiative

As readers of this blog know, we are actively engaged in a number of efforts supporting communities, especially coal-reliant regions, dealing with the impacts of the ongoing energy transition.  That’s why I’m very excited by the new Resilient Energy Economies Initiative (REE), led by the Bezos Earth Fund, Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, and Resources for the Future.  The REE seeks to develop “innovative solutions by bolstering the people who understand this issue the best: those whose communities are facing uncertain economic prospects due to a heavy dependence on the coal, oil, and gas industries.”

You can learn more about the REE and its proposed program of work via the project’s kickoff paper which, among other things, sets out an initial research agenda. If you are a researcher or work in energy-reliant communities, you may also be interested in REE’s first applied research grant program which will be open for submissions on May 1, 2024.  You can learn more about this opportunity here.