For Copeland and her fiancée, that night cost $11,500 in immediate damage to their basement and foundation. Insurance covered most of it, but only after an argument about what was actually covered.

Whether utilities absorb massive energy demands or local taxpayers shoulder the staggeringly high costs of transitioning away from fossil fuel dependence, the model remains the same: We are all forced to subsidize private profits.

It's time to talk about something fundamental: the very air we breathe, the health we cherish, and the future we envision for our...