America's electrical grid is headed for a total meltdown

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2. Over 100 years ago, there was a movement for public ownership of critical utilities

That movement needs to be revived

https://bigthink.com/the-present/municipal-electricity-utility/

Municipal or community utilities are utilities that are owned and operated by the local government or another state body to provide a service to the public. It is common to see these in different parts of the country providing many services; among them electricity, water, gas, internet, telephone services, and garbage removal.

This isn’t a new idea; Los Angeles has had a publicly owned electric utility for over one hundred years. It also isn’t a fringe one, one in seven Americans are served by such a utility at the time of writing. However, as debates over our energy future take on ever-increasing importance and concerns over corporate power in American life come to the forefront, the idea is taking on a new life.

The American Public Power Association (APPA), the trade association for community-owned electric utilities, lays out the case for public power in straightforward terms. On their stats and facts page, they explain how “Not for profit, community-owned, locally controlled” utilities provide better service at lower rates than privately owned utilities while also providing revenue for their communities.

Examples of well-run municipal electric utilities that offer a clear alternative to the typical model abound. In Omaha, Nebraska, a state which is entirely powered by cooperatives and municipal utilities, voters elect the members of the utility board of directors. Meetings of the board are open to the public and televised. Each year, a portion of the profits made are given back to the city to be spent at the discretion of the city council.