State and Local Climate and Energy Program
Getting Started
The State Climate and Energy Program helps states develop policies and programs that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy costs, improve air quality and public health, and help achieve economic development goals. EPA provides states with proven, cost-effective best practices, peer exchange opportunities, and analytical tools as described throughout this Web site under the following categories:
State Examples »
Case Studies | GHG Inventories | Climate Change Action Plans
Topics »
Air Quality | Economics | Energy Efficiency | Health | Heat Islands | Impacts & Adaptation | Land Use | Renewable Energy | Transportation | Solid Waste and Materials Management | Water/Wastewater | Workforce Development
State Activities »
Developing an Action Plan | Developing a GHG Inventory | Identifying and Evaluating Policy Options | Designing and Implementing Programs | Choosing a Clean Energy Financing Program | Leading by Example in Government Operations | Engaging Stakeholders | Determining Results
State & Regional Climate Policy Tracking »
Energy Efficiency Actions | Energy Supply Actions | Power Sector | Reporting | State Planning and Incentive Structures | Targets and Caps | Transportation Sector | State Status Definitions
States have taken many approaches to advancing climate change mitigation strategies and expanding the use of clean energy. The paths to achieving these successes are varied, rarely linear, and almost always build upon the motivation of a champion or group of champions within the state (e.g., governor, environment commissioner, staff experts).
The steps below provide one general framework that states can consider when beginning to develop a climate change or clean energy strategy. The process of moving through these steps is frequently iterative.
- Engage stakeholders and support intra-state collaboration by facilitating coordination among state agencies to set targets, identify priorities for implementation, and report on progress. Involving multiple state agencies can result in leveraging of resources to achieve goals more quickly and with fewer resources.
- Establish specific clean energy and climate change goals for your state:
- Conduct a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory to quantify your state's emissions and set a baseline for future reductions.
- Develop a climate change action plan to reach targets and identify strategies for achieving greenhouse gas reductions, energy savings, and other goals.
- Identify and evaluate policy and program options:
- Consider policies and programs on a variety of topics, such as Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Land Use, Transportation, and others.
- Learn what other states are doing.
- Design and implement programs in order to maximize benefits and achieve program goals:
- Identify possible funding sources and financing vehicles to pay for clean energy and climate change activities.
- Lead by example by using clean energy technologies and reducing emissions in government operations in addition to pursuing statewide goals.
- Monitor and evaluate progress in order to determine results of programs and policies and communicate benefits.