States’ Legislature Energy Roundup 5/1/08

I’m Colorado-centric in legislature watching. However, I also keep an eye on how and what other states’ legislatures are doing. What’s done in one state can usually be done in another. The right-wing has nearly perfected this approach. The ill-named TABOR introduced in Colorado and immigration policies introduced in California only begin to scratch the surface of their attempts to invent, implement and spread bad ideas. So, in an effort to capitalize on good things being done in other states, here we go.

First up, Maryland. They doubled their renewable energy standard to 20% by 2022. They allocated $40 million per year for clean energy programs. They will require utilities to reduce per capita electricity consumption 10% by 2015. They increased the amount of grant money to $10K for solar panels and $3K for solar hot water systems. The prohibited residential communities from banning solar panel installation. (HOA powers, usually controlled by out-of-the-area interests are one of my greatest pet peeves.) New state buildings and public schools will be required to meet green building standards. (This needs to apply to all new construction, and to construction projects that will amount to a certain percentage of the buildings value prior to construction.) Development around transit stations will be boosted.

Next: West Virginia. Their legislature created a limited sales tax holiday for Energy Star appliance purchases. (Which is a much smarter idea than the federal gas tax holiday, which Republican in Democrats clothing Sen. Clinton wants. Panderer.) A program that accepts some electronics and incentives for recycling some electronics was created. Counties and municipalities can now enter into contracts for saving energy. Production of coal bed methane will no longer generate tax exemptions. The coal bed methane will be taxed as a natural gas now.

In Kentucky, watershed authorities will be created to restore and improve streams around the Commonwealth. Incentives for homeowners will be created to use solar and wind energy, as well as other energy-efficient lights, windows, and insulation. State and local governments will be required to build and lease energy-efficient buildings.

These serve as reminders that, contrary to what global warming denialists want the public to believe, solutions to create an energy smart society exist today and can be implemented quite easily when political will acknowledges the problem responsibly. When Colorado’s legislature is done, I’ll do some comparative work between our and other states’ legislatures.