FORT COLLINS, CO – As state legislatures around the nation prepare for the 2021 session, Colorado State University’s Center for the New Energy Economy (CNEE) has published a new analysis of advanced energy-related legislation enacted by the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The report, “Seven Years of Advanced Energy Action: 2013 – 2019 State Legislation in Review,” uses Advanced Energy Legislation Tracker (AEL Tracker) data to look back at the 3,542 advanced energy-related bills enacted by state policymakers between 2013 and 2019. CNEE’s team also highlights notable federal policy and market developments impacting state policy decisions.

States have taken the lead in developing the climate and energy policies that drive clean energy adoption. The period between 2013 and 2019 was characterized by shifts in public opinion concerning energy and climate, dramatic changes in energy markets, and technological innovation. Managing energy supply and demand has become more complex, and as technological progress accelerates, state legislatures have been empowered to lay the policy groundwork to transform energy markets. State responses anticipating and reacting to systemic changes have varied widely. Tracking state legislative activity is important for understanding the direction of U.S. energy policy.

Between 2013 and 2019, state-level decision-makers enacted transformative energy policies, and one of the most significant trends to emerge is the gravitation toward energy policy integration at the state level. That is, between 2016 and 2019, state legislatures more frequently employed omnibus legislation to comprehensively address energy, environmental, justice, and climate policy.