Policy

Another One Bites the Dust: Ohio EE Legislation Dies in Lame Duck

It has been four years since electric utilities in Ohio have been allowed to run portfolios of energy efficiency programs for their customers. Since the state’s mandated energy efficiency resource standard (EERS) portfolios were wrapped up in 2020, utilities and advocates have supported bringing back EE through proposed voluntary portfolios in docketed proceedings with the Public Utility Commission of Ohio (PUCO). None of the attempts have been approved as proposed, and a few limited programs that have been negotiated through settlement agreements are a tiny drop in an empty bucket.  

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Over $1 Billion in Federal Funds Flow into the Midwest: Energy Efficiency’s Role in CPRG Implementation Awards

The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants Program

In July 2024, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced 25 awardees of nearly $5 billion in Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program (CPRG) implementation awards. In early September, the EPA announced another $300 million in grants to 33 tribes and one territory in the final phase of planned CPRG funding. CPRG is one of several funding streams from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act designed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and advance environmental justice.

Michigan Passes Transformative Energy Efficiency Legislation

After many months of legislative negotiations, Governor Whitmer signed SB271, SB273 and SB502 into law on November 28. Collectively these three bills transform Michigan’s energy policy by establishing a 100% clean energy standard by 2040, increasing the state’s energy waste reduction (EWR) standard and expanding the purview of the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC).  

See below for more details of these three new laws: 

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Energy Efficiency Gets a Jumpstart in Kansas

On September 1, the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) delivered an order approving the long pending Evergy Kansas Energy Efficiency Investment Act (KEEIA) plan filing, confirming the utility’s 2023-2026 Demand-Side Management (DSM) Portfolio and associated cost recovery mechanisms. Commissioners approved the “Initial Program Settlement” and “Initial Financial Settlement” with certain modifications and conditions, rather than the more recently discussed “Alternative Settlement.”

New Construction in Oak Park Will Now Be All-Electric

On June 20, 2023, the Village Board of Oak Park, Illinois voted in favor of an all-electric new construction ordinance as part of their building code. This makes Oak Park the first municipality in Illinois - and the Midwest - to pass an electrification ordinance. Electrification was one of the steps identified as necessary to achieve community-wide net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, as set forth by the Village in Climate Ready Oak Park. This follows the adoption of a benchmarking ordinance approved in February 2023.

MN Continues to Move the Needle on EE Investments

The Minnesota legislature has concluded its 2023 session, but not before passing an expansive energy package, HF2310. Minnesota has a history of bundling individual bills into omnibus bill packages to pass legislation. Ultimately, the House climate and energy package was folded into the House environment and natural resources package, with that combined omnibus bill passing the House on April 17.

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Polls Predicted a Red Wave, But What About a Green Wave? EE Policy Implications from the 2022 Midterm Elections

With another election in the books, the Midwest political landscape looks a little bit different. Much of the attention this legislative season was focused on who would control the US Senate and House of Representatives, but with nine Governors races and thousands of state legislative seats in MEEA states up for grabs, results will be very impactful. Democrats had a relatively strong showing at both the federal and state levels, averting some of the losses predicted by some pundits and polls.  

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