In the last few weeks, state-level stakeholders around the
country have been busy reforming renewable portfolio standards, proposing
changes to net metering policies, and studying the potential effects of the
EPA’s Clean Power Plan. Also, in an unprecedented move, the Hawaii state
legislature voted to make electricity generation 100 percent renewable by 2045.
More on these developments in our state dispatch below.
As action unfolds in the states, there’s also been some
meaningful activity on clean energy at the federal level in recent weeks. Sen.
Angus King, an Independent from Maine, introduced
a bold piece of legislation last week designed to promote personal
energy independence through advanced technologies. The bill would ensure that
distributed energy resources are able to be connected to the grid in a
reasonable timeframe for a reasonable price, and with reasonable compensation
for the benefits they offer utilities. Also last week, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)
introduced legislation that would boost funding for smart grid
technology.
In other federal news, the Supreme
Court announced that it would hear the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission's Order 745 demand response case. Also in the courts, judges on the
U.S. Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia Circuit appear likely to dismiss the first legal challenge to
the Clean Power Plan.
And now to the states.
