by Manjulika Das, NECEC Policy Intern

After legislative bodies across the region wrapped their sessions for the year, NECEC hosted our Annual Legislative Roundup to examine the outcomes from each New England state and reflect on progress made in clean energy policy.

On Wednesday, August 7, NECEC’s Policy and Government Affairs team was joined by our state partners: Nick Paul, Director of Legislative Affairs at Clean Energy New Hampshire; Eliza Donoghue, Executive Director at Maine Renewable Energy Association; Jonathan Dowds, Deputy Director at Renewable Energy Vermont; and Alexis Bourassa, Associate Lobbyist from Focus Government Affairs. Each partner provided insights on the passage or failure of important policies from their states at the end of each session.

Over 90 members of NECEC’s Policy Committee convened virtually to hear both good and bad outcomes, as well as the work that lies ahead to enact clean energy legislation in upcoming sessions.

Rapid State Legislative Action on Clean Energy is Needed

This is a critical year for state leadership, given the uncertainty of the federal election. As NECEC President Joe Curtatone penned in a recent op-ed, “The role of state leadership extends beyond policy implementation. It is about setting an example and inspiring other states to follow suit.”

NECEC’s Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs, Tim Snyder, echoed this sentiment in his opening remarks. He further emphasized the importance of NECEC working with our members, partners, and legislators to move swiftly at the state-level.

“As we increasingly see the negative impacts of climate change in our everyday lives, people across the board are becoming more and more aware that we don’t have the luxury of time to slowly develop policies to gradually transition to a clean energy future. We have to move now,” said Snyder. “Legislators are paying attention but don’t know exactly what needs to happen to turn targets and visioning documents into practical, on-the-ground policy solutions. Together, we can show them what to do.”

Snyder also contextualized the legislative process and state action, or inaction this year, describing it to be a bit more complicated, particularly in Massachusetts:

“Legislatures play a key role in setting statutory frameworks and providing financial support in strategic ways. But these policies also require complex regulatory processes and substantial programmatic development and support from executive offices.

Legislatures—even ones that want to do the right thing—are struggling to find the right level of statutory muscle and general fund resources needed to compel—and support—the detailed, on the ground changes that are needed across the board.”

Notable Victories and Disappointing Setbacks

While several important pieces of legislation failed to pass at the end of the sessions, several good pieces did make it across the finish line in other states.

According to Jonathan Dowds, Deputy Director at Renewable Energy Vermont, the state had “the most productive climate session in history,” passing major legislation to update the state’s Renewable Energy Standard. This legislation would ultimately set Vermont on a path to 100% renewable energy by 2035. Rhode Island passed its “Energy Storage Act” which required the Office of Energy Resources to initiate the process of developing programs and associated funding mechanisms for energy storage deployment.

New Hampshire also saw success in passing legislation that required the Department of Energy to set cost effective, timely, and predictable interconnection processes, while Maine passed legislation to spur the “re-opening” of the Northern Maine energy transmission and generation procurement.

Connecticut convened for a brief 3-month legislative session in which solar legislation was passed, including several important statutory tweaks and implementing studies. However, it was also the second session in a row that failed to see the passage of a big climate package.

Finally, Massachusetts’ two-year legislative cycle came to a disappointing end as several important pieces of climate legislation failed to emerge for final votes before the end of the formal session on July 31. Though the energy bills passed through both the Senate and the House, they did not emerge from the Conference Committee before the clock ran out.

Snyder observed, “this was in part due to differences between the chambers about what should be in the final bills, and in part due to the last-minute nature of the negotiations.” The climate legislation included an energy package that NECEC and many other advocates had been working on, as well as the Economic Development Bill, which would have invested significantly in the state’s climate tech sector.

Key Themes Observed in States’ Legislative Sessions

A few general themes were noted in this year’s legislative session. First, multiple states saw legislative action that would create new incentive programs and improve existing ones for clean energy deployment.

Second, many New England states took steps in the right direction to upgrade grid infrastructure by passing legislation related to transmission projects, grid enhancing technologies, and other necessary remedies.

Finally, states made important updates to their clean energy goals. For example, as mentioned above, Vermont made high-level updates to its Renewable Portfolio Standard, while Rhode Island established more sector-specific goals, by passing the Energy Storage Act, to support its clean energy targets.

During the Roundup, NECEC’s Policy and Government Affairs team, along with its state partners, discussed the specifics of what had and had not passed in each state. The outcome of the passage or failure of each bill was highlighted to understand where clean energy priorities had been achieved, and where further action would need to be taken to keep the momentum going on clean energy goals. We invite you to view the 2024 NECEC Legislative Roundup slides here.

If you are an NECEC member and want to be added to our Policy Committee or one of our topical working groups, or you’d like to learn more about membership, please email Natalie Treat, Director of Public Policy at ntreat@necec.org.