State Climate and Energy Technical Forum

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In November 2004, EPA launched the State Technical Forum to help state staff explore analytical questions and resolve key issues surrounding state climate change and clean energy efforts. Organized as a monthly facilitated discussion among state energy, environmental, and public utility commission officials, the Technical Forum features peer exchanges, expert presentations, and targeted background documents.

Materials from the State RPS Collaborative – a temporary offshoot of the Technical Forum convened in April, May, and June 2005 – are also available. To receive announcements about future webcasts, sign up for EPA's State Technical Forum Update or contact Erica Bollerud (Bollerud.Erica@epamail.epa.gov).

Topics covered include:

Clean Energy Jobs

Clean Energy Workforce Development

Clean energy workforce development programs are becoming increasingly important at both the state and local levels. Appropriately trained employees will be needed to transition to a cleaner economy that addresses climate change and energy challenges while also creating new jobs. Some of these new jobs will require little additional training while others will require training or possibly advanced degrees. EPA held a Technical Forum call on this topic in February 2009.

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The Jobs Impact of Clean Energy

Clean energy programs and projects have positive economic and jobs impacts, and being able to quantify them is important to building support for clean energy. This Technical Forum covered key concepts to consider when quantifying the jobs impacts from clean energy; two different methods that states have used to quantify the jobs impacts of clean energy initiatives; and NREL's publicly available Job and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) model, which is used to estimate jobs impacts from clean energy policies and programs. EPA’s State Technical Forum held a call on this topic in August 2011.

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Climate Change Policy

Climate Change Adaptation for State and Local Governments

Adaptation to climate change is increasingly important as the effects of climate change become apparent across different regions of the United States. In order to mobilize their communities, state and local governments must be able to communicate the risks and impacts of climate change to stakeholders to build support for adaptation efforts. There are a number of frameworks that can be used to assess climate change vulnerability, and employing these tools strengthens subsequent adaptation planning and implementation activities. These adaptation efforts are most effective when integrated into existing operations. The federal government has a variety of guidance, data, tools, and other resources that state and local governments can access to support their adaptation efforts. The EPA’s State Technical Forum and the Local Climate and Energy Program jointly held Technical Forums on this topic in November and December 2010 and January 2011.

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Emerging Climate Protection Technologies

Several states have established programs to encourage emerging climate protection technologies, and to ease the transition from research and development to commercialization of these technologies. Benefits of these programs include mitigating climate impacts, encouraging energy efficiency and renewable energy, promoting demand response, and stimulating economies through job creation. As emerging technologies, these products generally start out earlier on the commercialization curve, where they may be subject to cost and reliability issues. State programs can help address these issues and support a technology's evolution into a proven, cost-effective product appropriate for promotion through programs like ENERGY STAR. EPA held a Technical Forum call on this topic in November 2007.

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Federal Climate Legislation and Implications for State Energy Offices

The American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act of 2009 establishes a combined efficiency and renewable electricity standard (ERES), develops a strategy for promoting carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), places performance standards on new coal-fired power plants, supports state and local adoption of advanced building codes, supports state building retrofit programs, instructs states to submit goals for transportation-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions, establishes a cap-and-trade program covering multiple GHGs and sectors, and establishes a National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy. Provisions of the Act of particular interest to states include preemption of state cap-and-trade programs for the years 2012-2017, allocation of allowances to states, treatment of state/regional allowances, and funds given directly to states for renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. EPA held a Technical Forum call on this topic in June 2009.

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Federal Mandatory Reporting Rule (MRR) for Greenhouse Gases

In response to the FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act (PDF) (613 pp, 1.5M) (H.R. 2764; Public Law 110-161), EPA issued a Final Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Rule in September 2009. The rule, which became effective on December 29, 2009, requires reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from large sources and suppliers in the United States, and is intended to collect accurate and timely emissions data to inform future policy decisions. Under the rule, suppliers of fossil fuels or industrial greenhouse gases, manufacturers of vehicles and engines, and facilities that emit 25,000 metric tons or more per year of GHG emissions are required to submit annual reports to EPA. EPA held a Technical Forum call on this topic in February 2010.

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Emissions

Co-Benefits to Advance Clean Energy Programs

Clean energy resources have often been evaluated and advanced based primarily on their energy cost-saving or fuel diversity benefits. However, as states tackle a broad range of environmental, energy, and economic issues, clean energy is increasingly being considered and recognized for the multiple benefits it helps provide. Some of these benefits can include improved air quality, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, improved energy system reliability and security, and job creation and economic development. Recognition of the multiple benefits of clean energy is helping to create broad constituencies and increased investment opportunities across state agencies. By more fully recognizing the benefits side of the benefit-cost equation, states are leveraging resources and expertise to promote a holistic and integrated approach to achieving a range of societal goals. EPA held a Technical Forum call on this topic in June 2007.

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Nitrogen Oxide (NO_x) Budget Energy Efficiency / Renewable Energy Allowance Set Asides

EPA and the Eastern states designed an interstate emissions trading program – the Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) Budget Trading Program – to reduce ozone season emissions of electric generating and industrial combustion units. Under the NOx Budget Trading Program, 22 states and the District of Columbia allocate allowances to these units. In addition, states may choose to reserve (i.e., "set aside") allowances to provide incentives for new sources and/or for certain activities. For example, under an energy efficiency/renewable energy (EE/RE) set-aside, a state awards NOx allowances to eligible EE/RE projects. Awardees can either sell these allowances to help finance their projects or retire the allowances and thereby account for the emissions reductions associated with the project. EPA held Technical Forum calls on this topic in June 2006 and November 2004.

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Output-Based Emission Standards

Establishing output-based emission standards for air pollutant regulation is a way to reward efficiency and encourage development of clean distributed generation and combined heat and power (CHP), as well as other energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Output-based regulations (OBRs) relate emission limits to the productive output of a process. The goal of OBR is to encourage the use of fuel conversion efficiency and renewable energy as a pollution prevention measure. EPA held a Technical Forum call on this topic in March 2006.

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Quantifying the Emission Impacts of Clean Energy Initiatives

Clean energy programs and projects help reduce air pollution, improve public health, lower health care costs and reduce contributions to climate change. To build support for these initiatives, it is important to be able to quantify their emission impacts. This Technical Forum covered two methods for quantifying emissions from the electric power sector; why and how the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments built an emission reduction calculator; and the potential application of a California clean energy benefits quantification tool in air and energy planning at the state and local level. EPA’s State Technical Forum held calls on this topic in June 2011 and January 2012.

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Using EPA’s GHG Reporting Rule Data for State and Local Governments

Comprehensive greenhouse gas (GHG) data reported directly from large facilities and suppliers across the country are now easily accessible to the public through EPA’s GHG Reporting Program. This information can be used by state and local governments to identify nearby sources of GHGs, identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce emissions, or to inform policies and programs. The EPA State Technical Forum and Local Climate and Energy Program jointly held a Technical Forum on this topic in March 2012.

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The Emissions & Resource Generation Integrated Database: Potential Uses for State and Local Governments

Developed by EPA, the Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID) is the preeminent source of air emissions data for the electric power sector. Using plant-specific data for U.S. electricity generating plants, the tool documents the environmental attributes of electric power generation. State governments can use it to help develop greenhouse gas inventories and calculate the benefits of clean energy programs. The EPA’s State Technical Forum and the Local Climate and Energy Program jointly held a Technical Forums on this topic in March 2011.

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Energy Efficiency

Decoupling and Other Mechanisms to Address Utility Disincentives towards Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is a proven least-cost approach to meeting electricity demand in many instances. It also carries benefits for system reliability, environmental impacts, and economic development, and it can reduce or delay the need for new generation and transmission. Under many rate structures, however, efficiency investments lead to a loss of profits that can be several times greater than the lost revenue. For instance, some utilities see a 5 percent loss in profits for every 1 percent loss in sales. A number of regulatory mechanisms are available for consideration in attempting to align utility incentives with energy efficiency investments, including ensuring recovery of prudently incurred energy efficiency program costs, addressing the typical utility throughput incentive through decoupling, and providing utility incentives for the successful management of energy efficiency programs. Determining which mechanism will work best for any jurisdiction is a process that takes into account the type and financial structure of the utilities in that jurisdiction, existing statutory and regulatory authority, and the size of the energy efficiency investment. EPA held Technical Forum calls on these topics in December 2007 and May 2005.

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Energy Efficiency and Metering Technologies

Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) initiatives are gaining popularity in states as a tool to modernize the electricity grid, reduce peak demand, and reach energy efficiency goals. Often called smart metering, AMI is part of the foundation for utilities to implement a new "smart grid" that can minimize the need for additional power generation facilities and transmission lines. AMI uses technology to capture and transmit energy use information on an hourly, and sometimes sub-hourly, basis to a central collection point. In contrast, standard meters provide a daily electricity usage total and a cumulative monthly billed amount that is determined by multiplying total usage by a fixed, non-time sensitive price. EPA held a Technical Forum call on this topic in January 2008.

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Energy Efficiency and Peak Electricity Demand

Historically, most electricity energy efficiency programs focused successfully on reducing overall energy use, consistent with permanent reductions associated with energy efficiency technologies. As a result, quantifying peak demand reductions from energy efficiency—particularly using direct, on-site measurement, rather than estimating based on load curves and billing data—was not typically a priority. Given growing concerns about increasing demand, reliability issues, and the costs and siting challenges of meeting additional generation, transmission, and distribution capacity needs, many states are now looking at how their energy efficiency efforts can be re-prioritized, at least in part, to provide peak demand benefits. EPA held a Technical Forum call on this topic in April 2007.

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Energy Efficiency as a Resource in New England's Forward Capacity Market

In June 2006, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the design of Independent System Operator-New England's (ISO-NE's) forward capacity market as a means to purchase sufficient capacity for reliable system operation. The design will enable the wholesale electricity market in New England to, for the first time, permit energy efficiency and other demand-side resources to bid for payments on a comparable basis with traditional supply-side resources. This creates the possibility of a new revenue stream for energy efficiency; it also calls for new guidance on how to measure and verify the performance of demand resources. The responses to these path-breaking developments create many opportunities for using energy efficiency as a resource. EPA held a Technical Forum call on this topic in February 2007.

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Energy Efficiency in Affordable Housing

The "energy burden" for low-income households can be three to six times greater than that of median income households and is a key driver for state and federal energy efficiency measures. Energy efficiency in low-income housing also affords states improved environmental protection, health benefits, enhanced local economic development, and greenhouse gas reductions. For utilities, low-income energy efficiency and the related bill savings can help lower credit, collection, and shut-off costs and reduce account write-offs. Low-income energy efficiency efforts range from weatherization programs that involve insulation, cool roofing materials, and efficient windows, doors, and appliances to whole-building systems integration, building orientation, and tree placement for optimum passive solar heating and cooling. EPA held a Technical Forum call on this topic in December 2006.

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Energy Efficiency Measurement and Verification (M&V)

M&V refers to the determination of electricity savings or generation from an EE/RE project. M&V data are important to states because they allow states to: achieve an accurate estimate or measure of EE/RE electricity savings and generation; provide a credible basis for rewarding projects or programs for actual benefits; develop a basis for measuring the success of EE/RE policies and communicating with the public; and determine a basis for estimating emissions avoided due to reduced generation from traditional sources. EPA held Technical Forum calls on this topic in December 2004 and November 2008.

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Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standards (EEPS)

Energy efficiency portfolio standards (EEPS), also known as energy efficiency resource standards (EERS), are market-based mechanisms that require energy providers to meet quantitative targets for energy savings. These targets are generally set by a regulatory body such as a state legislature or utility commission. They specify numerical targets that electricity service providers are expected to meet on an annual and/or cumulative basis (for example, a set kilowatt-hour level of reduction or percent reduction from projected growth or total sales). EPA held Technical Forum calls on these topics in January 2010, May 2006, and April 2005.