Nikki Luke presents "Electric Life: Utility Regulation and the Fight for Energy Democracy" in conversation w/ Patrick Bigger

Nikki Luke presents *Electric Life: Utility Regulation and the Fight for Energy Democracy* in a conversation with Patrick Bigger. The discussion examines how workers and utility customers can use regulation and organizing to confront climate change, energy costs, and environmental, racial, and economic injustice.

Luke’s book traces the relationship between Atlanta’s racially uneven development and expanding electricity use, showing how power infrastructure influences everyday life. She explores how ordinary interactions with electric utilities can lead to intersectional organizing for energy democracy, as well as the legal and material development of investor-owned utilities as regulated monopolies and the role of state public service commissions.

The conversation also considers how utilities and regulatory systems could be reshaped to make energy more affordable, address longstanding environmental and energy injustices, and support a fair transition away from fossil fuels. Drawing on urban, environmental, and labor studies, Luke connects current demands for energy justice to civil rights, labor, and environmental organizing for affordable power, pollution protection, fair treatment, and good jobs.

Nikki Luke is an associate professor of geography at the University of Tennessee. Her research focuses on urban energy governance and the ways race, gender, class, and ability influence energy policy, community organizing, and the pursuit of energy justice. Patrick Bigger directs the Climate and Community Institute’s Research Department and leads its work on global systems and policy. His research and writing address green industrial policy, the Pentagon’s role in the climate crisis, and the political economy of biodiversity loss. He previously taught economic geography at Lancaster University and has written for academic journals and publications including *Dissent* and *The Nation*.

When: Tuesday, December 1st, 2026

Showtime: 7:00 pm

Tickets: Price not available

RSVP: RSVP is available through the event page and Withfriends.

Speakers: Nikki Luke and Patrick Bigger

Venue: Red Emma’s, 3128 Greenmount Avenue, Baltimore, MD

Run time: Not provided

Ages: Not provided

Accessibility: Not provided