March 28, 2008

ACROSS THE COUNTRY, STATE LEGISLATORS TAKE ACTION ON ENERGY POLICIES

In addition to Maryland, many other states are also working on new energy efficiency policies. From New Mexico to Minnesota, from Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania to Massachusetts, legislatures are moving an array of energy policy bills.

• For example, the New Mexico legislature just passed a bill establishing binding energy savings targets for the state’s utilities, with targets gradually ramping up to 10% savings by 2020.
• The Minnesota legislature is considering a bill sponsored by Gov. Pawlenty to increase their savings targets from 1.5% per year to 2.0% per year.
• The Ohio Senate passed a bill in late 2007 establishing a savings target of about 5% savings in 2025 relative to projected sales. The Speaker of the Ohio House has introduced a bill that would raise the 2025 savings target to 22% which would have programs gradually ramping up over a decade with much of the savings achieved in the final years.
• The Michigan legislature is working on a bill that would require annual savings ramping up to 1.0% per year by 2012 and continuing at that level. The bill was reported out of a House committee, but the House leadership is now waiting for issues on several other utility-related bills to be resolved before moving the energy efficiency bill.
• In Massachusetts, both houses of the legislature have passed a bill that directs utilities to acquire “all cost-effective efficiency resources;” a conference committee is now working through differences.
• Finally, in Pennsylvania, the House has passed a bill establishing an $850 million energy efficiency fund and a separate bill establishing efficiency savings targets (1% by 2011 and 2.5% by 2013). 

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