On December 21, 2016, Governor Snyder signed into law a comprehensive energy bill package (PA 341/PA 342) that the Michigan legislature passed (as SB 437/SB 438) on December 15, 2016, the very last day of its “lame duck” fall session. PA 341 amends PA 3 and PA 342 amends PA 295.
After more than two years of legislative proposals and negotiations, on Wednesday, December 7, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed into law the Future Energy Jobs Bill (SB 2814). The bill, which contains support for renewable energy, nuclear energy and energy efficiency, was passed by the Illinois legislature on December 1, the last day of veto session, with bipartisan support and will take effect June 1, 2017.
Last month, the Alliance for Industrial Efficiency released a new report that ranks each U.S. state on their potential for industrial energy efficiency to reduce carbon emissions. The report, State Ranking of Potential Carbon Dioxide Emission Reductions through Industrial Energy Efficiency, identifies which states are best suited to help the industrial sector to cut carbon emissions, while saving money and making manufacturers more competitive.
Each year, the members, board and staff of MEEA meet to celebrate the past year’s successes, elect the Board of Directors, swap best practices (and business cards) and discuss industry trends and MEEA’s roles therein.
This year, we gathered June 8-9 in St. Louis—just a stone’s throw away from the Gateway Arch and Busch Stadium—with a focus on upcoming political elections and treating energy efficiency as a supply-side resource. We were also pleased to unveil MEEA’s new logo and Annual Report.
On Wednesday, the Ohio Energy Mandates Study Committee (created under SB 310) released their recommendation on the near-term future of mandated energy efficiency and renewable energy standards in Ohio. The report recommends the General Assembly impose an indefinite freeze of these standards.
On April 21, 2015, the House of Representatives passed S.535, which establishes three separate programs to bolster energy efficiency measures in commercial, residential and/or mixed use buildings. This follows the Senate’s unanimous passage of this bill on March 27, 2015. The President is expected to sign the bill into law in the coming weeks.