October 24, 2012 | ||||||||
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States continue to advance energy efficiency States continue to move
strongly in 2012 to advance energy efficiency initiatives regardless of
which political party is in control of state legislatures and governors'
offices, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
(ACEEE) on the release today of its sixth annual State Energy Efficiency
Scorecard.
Available
online, the ACEEE State Scorecard shows that the top 10 energy efficiency
states are Massachusetts (in its second year atop the rankings), California,
New York, Oregon, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Washington, Maryland,
and Minnesota.
The 10 states most in need of improvement (starting with last) are
Mississippi, North Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska,
Kansas, Missouri, Louisiana, and Nebraska.
The three most improved states are Oklahoma, Montana, and South Carolina.
All three states significantly increased their budgets for electric
efficiency programs in 2011. Oklahoma put in place natural gas efficiency
programs for the first time in 2011, and Montana dramatically increased
its budgets for these programs. Other states making significant progress
this year include Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania,
all of which increased budgets for energy efficiency under their statewide
energy savings goals.
ACEEE Executive Director Steven Nadel said: "These findings show that
energy efficiency is being embraced by Republicans and Democrats alike
at the state level. That nonpartisan status is crucial because too many
conversations about U.S. energy policy begin with the false premise
that the only way to safeguard our reliable energy future is to expand
our supply. While some supply investments will be needed, the truth
is that step one should always be energy efficiency, our cheapest, cleanest,
and fastest energy resource. Energy efficiency improvements help businesses,
governments, and consumers meet their needs by using less energy, saving
them money, driving investment across all sectors of the economy, creating
much-needed jobs, and reducing environmental impacts."
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said smart statewide policies have led
to major improvements for Oklahoma on the ACEEE scorecard.
Gov. Fallin said: "As governor of Oklahoma, making government smaller,
smarter, and more efficient is among my top priorities. Energy inefficiency
wastes natural resources and tax dollars that could otherwise be used
for essential services like education, transportation, and public safety.
Thanks to efficiency programs by our state utilities, state tax incentives
for more energy-efficient construction, and our state plan to achieve
20 percent energy savings by 2020 among all state agencies and entities,
Oklahoma is one of the most-improved states on this year's ACEEE scorecard.
With innovative efficiency and conservation policies, Oklahoma is leading
the way on energy conservation."
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said: "We are proud to have maintained
the number one spot in the nation because of our continued focus on
innovation and investments in energy efficiency. Our Green Communities
Act is cutting our dependence on imported energy sources, creating jobs
and leading the way to a more sustainable energy future for Massachusetts."
ACEEE Senior Policy Analyst and State Scorecard lead author Ben Foster
said: "We find that more and more states are taking action to improve
energy efficiency and move up in our rankings, and it's no secret why
they want to accomplish that: energy efficiency is a pragmatic and effective
strategy for promoting economic growth, creating jobs, and securing
environmental benefits. The Scorecard serves as a benchmark that encourages
states to continue strengthening their commitment to energy efficiency."
OTHER KEY FINDINGS
METHODOLOGY The report examines six of the primary policy areas in which states
typically pursue energy efficiency: utility and "public benefits" programs
and policies; transportation policies; building energy codes; combined
heat and power (CHP) policies; state government-led initiatives around
energy efficiency; and appliance and equipment standards. The baseline
year against which ACEEE assessed policy and program changes varies
by policy category. Policy scores are based on policies in place as
of September 2012.
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy acts as a catalyst
to advance energy efficiency policies, programs, technologies, investments,
and behaviors. For information about ACEEE and its programs, publications,
and conferences, visit www.aceee.org
or contact Ailis Aaron Wolf at: aawolf@hastingsgroup.com.
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