A blog post last Thursday discussed the report titled Energy Efficiency Jobs in America – A Comprehensive Analysis of Energy Efficiency Employment Across all 50 States (“Report”) that had been issued by two organizations. http://www.mitchellwilliamslaw.com/energy-efficiency-employment-50-state-analysis
The Report provided a variety of information in regards to energy efficiency in the United States including a state-by-state analysis.
Mr. Wally Nixon, (Managing Attorney), and Valerie Boyce (Chief Administrative Law Judge) of the Arkansas Public Service Commission noted an error in the post’s discussion in regards to Arkansas energy efficiency. The Thursday post had stated in part:
Arkansas is one of the four states in the southeast states without energy efficiency standards (emphasis added).
The relevant section of the Report actually reads:
The state’s strongest area is in utilities, as it is one of the only states in the Southeast to approve an energy efficiency resource standard.
The Report also notes that the State of Arkansas has “continued to see an increase in annual electricity savings. . .”
Mr. Nixon, in an email Friday, noted this error and also provided some additional information stating:
As best I know, Arkansas is the only state in the southeast with an EERS for its investor-owned utilities. I know that ACEEE considers us to have an EERS when they do their annual rankings, based upon the APSC’s establishment in 2010 of electric utility energy savings targets (which will have grown from 0.25% per year in 2012 to 1.0% in 2019), coupled with approval in of EE program cost recovery, collection of lost contribution to fixed costs, and utility performance incentives. The Commission also established and has gradually raised the targets for the gas IOUs.
My review of the E2/E4the Future Report doesn’t reveal any other state in the southeast with an EERS. Interestingly, while we are tied at 27 with Texas in the ACEEE rankings, that state actually got a zero for utility EE programs (they obviously have a lot of non-utility programs, like transportation and buildings programs, that boost their ranking). I’m not sure what states are considered in the Report’s use of the term “southeast”, but I looked at all the standard ones south of the Mason-Dixon line and also included Kentucky and West Virginia.
I very much appreciated Ms. Boyce’s and Mr. Nixon’s correction and the additional information.
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