July 11, 2013

30 States Considered Green Energy Laws This Year

More than 30 states considered legislation this year to change their renewable energy standards, with no state rolling back those standards, according to the Center for the New Energy Economy.

Of those states, only eight enacted modifications or increases to existing policies, according to the center at Colorado State University. The data comes from the online Advanced Energy Legislation Tracker database www.aeltracker.org, which contains a comprehensive inventory of more than 2,300 state advanced energy bills including the 121 bills that would have increased, modified or decreased renewables policies this year. 

Of those 121 introduced bills, 16 have been enacted, none of which would repeal or delay renewables statutory requirements or generation deadlines.

"Despite attempts to roll back state renewable energy policies this year, the net impact thus far in the 2013 session is that the U.S. renewable energy market is stronger, particularly in the three states that increased their (renewables) standards – Nevada, Colorado and Minnesota," said Bill Ritter, director of the center and former governor of Colorado. "States are clearly defending their (renewables) policies and in some cases, increasing them."

Of the 121 unique renewables standards bills introduced this session, 26 of them would have rolled back minimum generation requirements, 29 sought to increase generation requirements and 66 would have modified an existing state renewables standard.

The eight states in which renewables policies were expanded or modified this year include Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Virginia and Washington. 

Bills that would have repealed, weakened or delayed implementation of renewables policies died in Kansas, Missouri, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Repeal legislation remains in committee in North Carolina and Ohio; both sessions close later in July.

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