Energy Publications and Legislative Updates

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, 11/19
• States' Reactions to EPA Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards (including 2016 State Action), 2015 State Action and 2014 State Action, updated 4/18/16
• 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
• The 411 on 111(d), SL Magazine, 6/15
• Legislative Role in Potential Interstate Collaboration on the Clean Power Plan,  6/15
• Climate Change: State Policy Update 2012 – 2014, 5/1/14
• A Policymaker’s Guide to Climate Economics: Questions to Ask, 6/22/11

Energy Efficiency

• 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, 11/16/16
• Energy Efficient Lighting, updated 6/2/16
• How Green Is Green?, SL Magazine, 5/16
• PACE Financing, updated 1/26/16
• Energy Efficiency State Legislative Update: 2015, 1/5/16
• 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
• Energy Efficiency State Legislative Update: 2014, 1/15/15
• States Explore Energy Banks as a Financing Tool, LegisBrief, 1/15
• State Energy Banks, 12/1/14
• Making Energy Efficiency Easy, SL Magazine, 6/14
• On-Bill Financing: Cost-free Energy Efficiency Improvements, 5/15/14
• On-Bill Financing: Cost-Free Energy Efficiency, LegisBrief, 3/10/14
• Energy Efficiency Requirements for Public Buildings, 11/20/13
• Efficient Buildings Update 2013, 11/19/13
• Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs), 11/18/13
• Energy Efficiency Financing Legislative Update, 7/17/13
• The Power of Efficiency, SL Magazine, 2/13
• State Energy Efficiency Action Update, 3/26/12

Energy Security & Critical Infrastructure

• Cybersecurity and the Electric Grid | The state role in protecting critical infrastructure, 1/24/2020
• On Shaky Ground, SL Magazine, 12/2019
• Power Play: States Address U.S. Electric Grid, Podcast, 11/19
• Power in the Bank, SL Magazine, 7/2018
• Hardening the Grid: How States are Working to Establish a Resilient and Reliable Electric System, 4/30/2018
• Open Government Laws and Critical Energy Infrastructure, 12/17
• Drones and Critical Infrastructure, 9/16
• Ever-Ready Energy, SL Magazine, 5/3/16
• State Efforts to Protect the Electric Grid, 4/18/16
• Protecting the Nation’s Energy Infrastructure: States Address Energy Security, 10/14/13

Energy Policy

• 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, 3/25/2019
• Powering Into the Future, SL Magazine, 5/2018
• Electricity Use in Marijuana Production, LegisBrief, 08/16
• Utility Submetering, updated 1/15/16
• Legislative Approval of Clean Air State Implementation Plans, 6/22/15
• Community Choice Aggregation, 1/12/15
• A Policymaker’s Guide to Comprehensive State Energy Planning, NCSL Task Force on Energy Supply, 8/14
• States Reactions to Proposed EPA Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards, 4/17/14, Updated 12/17
• Partners in Power, SL Magazine, 3/14
• The New Energy Revolution, SL Magazine, 2/14
• Meeting the Energy Challenges of the Future: A Guide for Policymakers, 7/19/10

Fossil Energy

• 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, 3/29/17
• Economies of Shale, SL Magazine, 6/15
• Reducing Methane Emissions, LegisBrief, 5/15
• Compulsory Pooling Laws: Protecting the Conflicting Rights of Neighboring Landowners, 10/24/14
• State Revenues and the Natural Gas Boom:  An Assessment of State Oil and Gas Production Taxes, 6/10/13
• States Take the Lead on Regulating Hydraulic Fracturing: Overview of 2012 State Legislation, 3/14/13
• Natural Gas Development and Hydraulic Fracturing: A Policymaker's Guide, 6/5/12
• Making State Gas Pipelines Safe and Reliable: An Assessment of State Policy, 3/1/11
• Capturing CO2, SL Magazine, 3/11

Nuclear

• The Nuclear Option(s), SL Magazine, 9/17
• Nuclear Power on a Small Scale, SL Magazine, 6/1/2017
• States Restrictions on New Nuclear Power Facility Construction, updated 5/19/17
• Waste No One Wants, SL Magazine, 5/1/2017
• State Options to Keep Nuclear in the Energy Mix, 1/26/17
• Nuclear Gets Zero Credit, SL Magazine, 12/16
• State Support for Nuclear Power, 8/31/16
• New Nuclear Power Plant Designs: The Not So Small Role of Small Modular Reactors, updated 8/12/15
• Will Small Modular Reactors Transform the Nuclear Industry?, Legisbrief, 6/14

Renewable Energy

• Energy: Do You Take Your Energy ‘Clean’ or ‘Renewable’?, SL Magazine 9/2019
• Renewable Energy Legislative Update: 2018, 8/19
• States' Renewable Energy Ambitions, LegisBrief, 2/19
• State Renewable Portfolio Standards and Goals, updated 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
• Renewable Energy State Legislative Update: 2016, 11/17
• 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
• A Rising Solar-Powered Workforce, SL Magazine, 9/17
• Here Comes the Sun: A State Policy Handbook for Distributed Solar Energy, 7/17
• Tackling Solar Energy's "Soft Costs," LegisBrief, 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, 11/16/16
• Renewable Energy State Legislative Update: 2015, 9/16
• Integrating Renewable Energy, 6/16
• The Rundown on Renewable Energy Standards, SL Magazine, 6/16
• Energy Siting and Compatibility with the Military Mission, 5/16
• State Legislative Approaches to Wind Energy Facility Siting, 4/16
• PACE Financing, Updated 1/26/16
• The Buzz over Renewable Energy, SL Magazine, 7-8/15
• State Policies for Power Purchase Agreements, 7/22/15
• Banking on Energy, SL Magazine, 4/15
• States Explore Energy Banks as a Financing Tool, LegisBrief, 01/15
• State Energy Banks, 12/1/14
• Renewable Energy State Legislative Update: 2014, 10/28/14
• Integrating Renewables, 10/22/14
• Energy Development Near Military Operations, LegisBrief, 9/14
• Solar-Clad Rooftops, Like Hybrid Cars, Are Rapidly Becoming Mainstream, SL Magazine, 8/14
• Fuel Cells—Clean and Reliable Energy, 3/9/11

Transmission

• Energy Development Near Military Operations, LegisBrief, 9/14
• Metal Theft | 2013 Legislative Update, 2/5/14
• States Get Smart: Encouraging and Regulating Smart Grid Technologies and Developments, 7/31/13
• States Walk the Line: Current State Action Towards More Efficient, Secure, and Cost Effective Electricity Transmission, 7/9/13
• Metal Theft Can Threaten U.S. Energy Security: A Hot Issue in 2012, 10/31/12
• 2012 Smart Grid State Action, 7/09/12
• Transmitting Electricity in an Increasingly Complex Energy Market: A Legislative Update, 4/13/11
• Utility Shut-Off Extensions, 10/25/10

Transportation

• New Fees on Hybrid and Electric Vehicles, 10/18
• Electric Vehicle Incentives and Fees, LegisBrief, 7/18
• State Efforts to Promote Hybrid and Electric Vehicles, updated 9/26/17
• Transporting Crude Oil by Rail: State and Federal Action, updated 10/30/15
• Transforming Transportation with Electricity, LegisBrief, 1/14
• Fueling the Future, SL Magazine, 3/12
• Transportation Energy for the Future: A Guide for Policymakers, 2/21/12