State Utility Commission Assistance
EPA provides technical assistance to state utility regulators who want to explore greater use of clean energy for its economic and environmental benefits. EPA technical assistance allows states to learn from each other and pursue best practice policies and programs for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean distributed generation such as combined heat and power. Assistance is provided directly to individual state utility commissions and in partnership with the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) through their Energy Resources and the Environment (ERE) Committee.
Key areas of interest include:
- Integrating clean energy resources into resource planning
- Aligning utility incentives with energy efficiency investment
- Developing and delivering a portfolio of clean energy programs
- Conducting studies of clean energy potential
- Evaluating, monitoring, and verifying clean energy program impacts
- Interconnection standards
- Rate design for distributed generation, such as standby rates
How Can EPA Help?
EPA’s assistance to states utility commissions is built upon the best practices demonstrated by states across the country and documented in the key resources identified below. Our assistance is customized to the needs of individual states and can take a variety of forms, including:
- Supporting focused workshops on key topics
- Providing training to commissioners and staffs
- Linking commissions with other related federal resources
- Fostering peer exchange amongst state commissions
Existing EPA Resources for State Utility Commissions
EPA has developed a number of key resources that state commissions can use directly and that provide a foundation for the targeted assistance we provide to individual states:
- National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency
- Action Plan Report
- Guides and Papers
- Presentations and Materials from Regional Meetings
- Clean Energy Resources Database
- Clean Energy-Environment Guide to Action
- Quick Start Energy Efficiency Programs (PDF) (17 pp, 235K, About PDF)
- Clean Energy-Environment Technical Forums
- Clean Energy Partnership Programs
- ENERGY STAR family of programs
- Combined Heat and Power Partnership
- Green Power Partnership
This assistance builds on the previous EPA-State Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Projects, which was a joint initiative between EPA, NARUC, and individual state utility commissions designed to explore approaches that deliver significant energy cost savings and other benefits through greater use of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean distributed generation.
For More Information
Joe Bryson (bryson.joe@epa.gov)
Program Manager, State Utility Commission Assistance
(202) 343-9631