Connecticut again ranked third on an annual scorecard on state energy policy, trailing California and Massachusetts nationally.
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) ranked states on six, equally weighted criteria:
- utility-sector programs and policies;
- transportation policies;
- building energy codes;
- combined heat and power;
- state government initiatives; and
- appliance efficiency standards.
Energy ratepayers pay a surcharge to back the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund, which in 2008 saved some 2,000 small businesses an estimated $8 million through various programs, while also targeting the residential sector.
The study did not take into account states”™ record of siting efficient new generation and delivery systems for clean energy. The past few years, Gov. M. Jodi Rell and others have opposed a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal in Long Island Sound, arguing it would cause environmental harm in the sound, and potentially would have an adverse economic impact as an eyesore.
Northeast states fared well on the survey, with New York ranked fifth and Vermont, Rhode Island and Maine also ranking in the top 10.
“The leading states are demonstrating that efficiency is their ”˜first fuel”™ to meet energy demands while growing their economies,” said Maggie Eldridge, an ACEEE research associate, in a statement. “States continue to raise the bar with comprehensive strategies to improve efficiency in their buildings, industry, and transportation systems. They are the ”˜living laboratories”™ of energy efficiency.”
