NCSL tracks energy trends in state legislation for a variety of energy topics.
Listed below are links to NCSL’s energy-related legislative updates, publications, reports, articles, presentations and LegisBriefs.
Climate Change
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Targets and Market-based Policies, 12/19
- States' Reactions to EPA Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards (including 2016 State Action), 2015 State Action and 2014 State Action, updated 4/16
- State Forest Carbon Incentives and Policies, 3/16
- Treasure in the Trees, SL Magazine, 3/16
- Power Shift: Lawmakers Face Clean Power Plan, Now on Hold, SL Magazine, 2/16
- Forests and Carbon Storage, LegisBrief, 1/16
- EPA Greenhouse Gas Emission Limits: What They Mean For State Legislatures, LegisBrief, 8/15
Energy Efficiency
- Bolstering Federal Energy Assistance and Weatherization With State Clean Energy Programs, 12/20
- Building Efficiency, 4/20
- Energy Efficiency Legislative Update, 3/20
- Energy Efficiency Resource Standards (EERS), 10/19
- Meeting Energy Needs with Demand Response, LegisBrief, 7/19
- Promoting Cost-Effective Utility Investment in Energy Efficiency, 4/19
- To Efficiency and Beyond, SL Magazine, 7/18
- Energy Efficiency State Legislative Update (2016-2017), 3/18
- Keeping PACE, SL Magazine, 12/17
- Doing More With Less Energy, SL Magazine, 10/17
- Financing Clean Energy Projects Through Property Assessments, LegisBrief, 9/17
- Energy Efficiency and Renewables in Lower-Income Homes, LegisBrief, 2/16
- State Policies for Low- and Moderate-Income Customer Access to Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, 11/16
- Energy Efficient Lighting, updated 6/2/16
- How Green Is Green?, SL Magazine, 5/16
- PACE Financing, updated 1/16
- Helping Utilities Invest in Energy Efficiency, LegisBrief, 4/15
- Banking on Energy, SL Magazine, 4/15
- Energy Financing from the Future, SL Magazine, 3/15
- Harnessing the Market to Create Energy Savings: An Energy Efficiency Financing Guide for State Policymakers, 2/15
- States Explore Energy Banks as a Financing Tool, LegisBrief, 1/15
- State Energy Banks, 12/14
- On-Bill Financing: Cost-free Energy Efficiency Improvements, 5/14
- Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs), 11/13
Energy Security & Critical Infrastructure
- Microgrids: State Policies to Bolster Energy Resilience, 6/22
- Video: Digging Deeper Into Energy Sector Cybersecurity, SL Magazine, 1/22
- Video: Energy Sector Cybersecurity: What Legislators Need to Know, SL Magazine, 12/21
- Energy Emergencies | Tribal-State Coordination in Planning and Response, 4/21
- Energy Emergencies | The State Legislative Role in Planning and Response, 1/21
- Responding to Disasters: Clearing the Way for Utilities, LegisBrief, 8/20
- Securing the Nation’s Energy Future: 2019-2020 State Legislative Action, 7/20
- Infrastructure and Peoples’ Right to Protest, SL Magazine, 7/20
- Cybersecurity and the Electric Grid | The state role in protecting critical infrastructure, 1/20
- On Shaky Ground, SL Magazine, 12/19
- Power Play: States Address U.S. Electric Grid, Podcast, 11/19
- Power in the Bank, SL Magazine, 7/18
- Hardening the Grid: How States are Working to Establish a Resilient and Reliable Electric System, 4/18
- Open Government Laws and Critical Energy Infrastructure, 12/17
- Drones and Critical Infrastructure, 9/16
- Ever-Ready Energy, SL Magazine, 5/16
- State Efforts to Protect the Electric Grid, 4/16
Energy Policy
- 2021 Legislative Energy Trends, 5/22
- Electricity Markets: A Primer for State Legislators, 12/2021
- The Energy Policy Response to COVID-19: Lessons Learned and Policy Considerations For State Legislatures, 10/21
- Energy Storage for a Modern Electric Grid: Technology Trends and State Policy Options, 4/21
- NCSL Report Examines Rewards, Realities of Smart Communities, SL Magazine, 2/21
- Texas Energy Crisis: What Is Resilient Power Worth? SL Magazine, 2/21
- 2020-2021 Legislative Energy Trends, 2/21
- Creating Smart Communities | A Guide for State Policymakers, 10/20
- 2019 Legislative Energy Trends, 3/20
- Modernizing the Electric Grid: State Role and Policy Options, 12/19
- Engagement Between Public Utility Commissions and State Legislatures, 10/19
- Smart Meter Opt-Out Policies, 8/19
- Water for Energy: Addressing the Nexus between Electricity Generation and Water Resources, 4/19
- 2018 Energy Trends Across State Legislatures, 319
- Powering Into the Future, SL Magazine, 5/18
- States Reactions to Proposed EPA Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards, updated 12/17
- Electricity Use in Marijuana Production, LegisBrief, 8/16
- Utility Submetering, updated 1/16
- Legislative Approval of Clean Air State Implementation Plans, 6/15
- Community Choice Aggregation, 1/12/15
- A Policymaker’s Guide to Comprehensive State Energy Planning, NCSL Task Force on Energy Supply, 8/14
- Partners in Power, SL Magazine, 3/14
Fossil Energy
- Renewable Natural Gas: Up and Coming Renewable Energy Contender? NCSL Blog, 8/20
- Safe and Reliable Pipelines | A Primer for State Legislatures, 2/20
- Cross-Bore Prevention, 11/18
- State Oil and Gas Severance Taxes, 9/18
- Ground-Breaking Safety, SL Magazine, 3/18
- Protecting Pipelines from Excavation Damage, LegisBrief, 5/17
- How States Protect Pipelines from Excavation Damage with an Interactive Guide to State One-Call Laws, 3/17
- Economies of Shale, SL Magazine, 6/15
- Reducing Methane Emissions, LegisBrief, 5/15
- Compulsory Pooling Laws: Protecting the Conflicting Rights of Neighboring Landowners, 10/14
- Natural Gas Development and Hydraulic Fracturing: A Policymaker's Guide, 6/12
Nuclear
- The Nuclear Option(s), SL Magazine, 9/17
- Nuclear Power on a Small Scale, SL Magazine, 6/17
- States Restrictions on New Nuclear Power Facility Construction, updated 5/17
- Waste No One Wants, SL Magazine, 5/17
- State Options to Keep Nuclear in the Energy Mix, 1/17
- Nuclear Gets Zero Credit, SL Magazine, 12/16
- State Support for Nuclear Power, 8/16
- New Nuclear Power Plant Designs: The Not So Small Role of Small Modular Reactors, updated 8/15
- Will Small Modular Reactors Transform the Nuclear Industry?, Legisbrief, 6/14
Renewable Energy
- Equity and Justice Considerations in State RPS/CES Policies, 12/21
- The Growing Role of Energy Storage in Clean Energy Policy, LegisBrief, 11/20
- State Approaches to Wind Facility Siting, 9/20
- Hydrogen Could Play Starring Role in New Energy Economy, SL Magazine 7/20
- State Renewable Portfolio Standards and Goals, updated 4/20
- Energy: Do You Take Your Energy ‘Clean’ or ‘Renewable’?, SL Magazine 9/19
- Renewable Energy Legislative Update: 2018, 8/19
- States' Renewable Energy Ambitions, LegisBrief, 2/19
- Solar Policy Toolkit, NCSL Online Resource, 10/18
- Renewable Energy Legislative Update: 2017, 8/18
- Plugged into Solar, SL Magazine, 2/18
- Offshore Wind on the Horizon, LegisBrief, 12/17
- Keeping PACE, SL Magazine, 12/17
- Net Metering: Policy Overview and State Legislative Updates, updated 11/17
- State Policies for Shared Renewable Energy, updated 11/17
- Financing Clean Energy Projects Through Property Assessments, LegisBrief, 9/17
- Here Comes the Sun: A State Policy Handbook for Distributed Solar Energy, 7/17
- Energy Efficiency and Renewables in Lower-Income Homes, LegisBrief, 2/16
- The Growth of Shared Renewable Energy, Legisbrief, 12/16
- State Policies for Low- and Moderate-Income Customer Access to Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, 11/16
- Integrating Renewable Energy, 6/16
- Energy Siting and Compatibility with the Military Mission, 5/16
- PACE Financing, Updated 1/16
- State Policies for Power Purchase Agreements, 7/15
- Banking on Energy, SL Magazine, 4/15
- States Explore Energy Banks as a Financing Tool, LegisBrief, 1/15
- State Energy Banks, 12/14
- Energy Development Near Military Operations, LegisBrief, 9/14
Transmission
Transportation
- State Lawmakers Driving EV Policies in 2021, SL Magazine, 3/21
- Special Fees on Plug-In Hybrid and Electric Vehicles, 12/20
- State Policies Promoting Hybrid and Electric Vehicles, 11/20
- Electric Vehicle Incentives and Fees, LegisBrief, 7/18
- Transporting Crude Oil by Rail: State and Federal Action, updated 10/15
- Transforming Transportation with Electricity, LegisBrief, 1/14
- Transportation Energy for the Future: A Guide for Policymakers, 2/12