HIGHLIGHTS
- To prevent the worst impacts of climate change from coming to pass, we need to reduce emissions.
- EPA teamed with Abt to highlight electric utility sector policies that can help states accelerate progress on clean energy.
- Best practices are being shared through the State Energy and Environment Guide to Action.
PROJECT
Support for EPA’s State and Local Climate and Energy Program. Task: Energy and Environment Guide to Action.
The Challenge
The EPA State and Local Climate and Energy Program offers free tools and technical resources to help states pursue their climate, clean energy, and equity goals. One key resource to support government policy makers and community advocates is the State Energy and Environment Guide to Action, which includes:
- A review of the current regulatory landscape,
- A summary of the anticipated energy system, environmental, and equity benefits of the policy,
- Key considerations for policy design and implementation,
- Action steps states can take, and
- Detailed state examples.
The Approach
Abt led the technical support to EPA with help from our subcontractors RAP and Marti Frank of Efficiency for Everyone. Our team reviewed thousands of pages of state legislation, electric utility commission docket proceedings, and other technical materials to help EPA prepare the Guide chapters, which provide real-world examples of state-level utility policy design and implementation. Abt supported an external panel review process and helped incorporate experts’ comments on early versions of the chapters. Abt coordinated the final report production.
The Results
The EPA Guide chapters are resources for state air agencies, energy departments, legislators, electric utility regulators (e.g., public utility commissions), environmental and community equity advocates, and other policy makers and clean energy organizations. The set of resources provides examples of best practices to help states accelerate progress toward clean energy, environmental, and equity goals including: