Advanced Energy Perspectives

On May 6, the clean energy train slid off the tracks in Arizona, taking with it the hope for the timely passage of the proposed Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) Energy Rules to reach 100% clean energy by 2050. More than three years after the rulemaking train left the station, the ACC rejected the proposed rules in a surprise 3-to-2 vote. That decision came after nearly three years of official stakeholder engagement, bipartisan cooperation, and extensive participation of utilities, consumer advocates, and communities of faith in the robust process, with all of those groups ultimately supporting the proposed rules package. But it turns out this was not the end of the line for the proposed rules. They are now back on track, in a new form, although the journey is far from over.

In a blink of an eye, AEE Indiana ran through the finish line of the 2021 legislative session of the Indiana General Assembly at the end of April, and we’re just now catching up. While in the past two sessions we mostly  played defense, working to stop coal bailouts and moratoriums on plant closures. But this session the advanced energy industry got an opportunity to go on offense, with several bills that we favored making it to the Governor’s desk. We still had to temper a last minute Hail Mary from the Coal Council, which would have hindered utility efforts to move beyond coal, but overall the pros outweigh the cons in 2021. Here’s a rundown of where we ended up on our priority issues at the end of the Indiana legislative session.

It was a dark and stormy session for the Texas legislature, dominated by electric power issues surfaced by Winter Storm Uri. With the Texas electricity system under more scrutiny – and more up for grabs – than at any time since restructuring in 1999, we at the Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance (TAEBA) had our hands full. But when the dust settled and the legislature gaveled out on Memorial Day, the outcome for advanced energy was net positive – even though the legislature missed a golden opportunity to enhance grid resilience with distributed energy resources.

New York State has some of the nation’s most ambitious climate goals as established by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which commits New York to a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 1990 levels by 2030 and an 85% reduction by 2050. Transportation electrification is critical to achieving these goals, given that transportation is the largest source of emissions in New York State, accounting for nearly one-third. Legislation that is currently awaiting action has the potential to not only bring the state closer to meeting these ambitious goals but also encourage growth in the electrification transportation (ET) supply chain and bring jobs to the state.

Since January, Advanced Energy Economy has been tracking hundreds of pieces of energy-related legislation filed in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the United States Congress. With some sessions already over and some just beginning, a number of trends have begun to emerge. Of course, just getting filed does not mean a bill will become law, or even that it stands much of a chance at all. But the patterns that arise in our survey of filed bills, which is by no means exhaustive, say a lot about what’s on lawmakers’ minds. And of course, some bills are already on the move. In what follows, bills with an asterisk have passed one house of its legislature as of May 25; two asterisks means that the bill has passed both houses (click through to see if it has been signed into law). We’ll be back this fall to catch up on what legislation has made it all the way to gubernatorial desks. For now, here is a look at our top 10 energy issues generating legislative activity across the country.