ABSTRACT
Public power in the United States provides a model of alternative development which can help mitigate the negative economic, social, and ecological impacts of the global capitalist economy. This chapter describes the historic struggle for public power in the United States, and assesses whether it has lived up to its potential for not only providing electricity as a non-profit service. It presents a process for debate over development options that enables local citizens to weigh social, economic, and environmental costs against the need for new power plants, energy efficiency, or alternative resources. The chapter examines the potential for new public power systems as well as other community initiatives to take control of their power supply. The electric power industry is the most money-intensive, pervasive, and politicized business in modern America. The historic roots of public ownership can be traced back to a period before the American Revolution when the first municipal waters systems were established.
