Action

On July 3, 2012, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the first version of the “Roadmap for Incorporating Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EE/RE) Policies and Programs in State Implementation Plans (SIPs) and Tribal Implementation Plans (TIPs).” 

The Roadmap will help air agencies estimate and account for emission reductions from EE and RE policies and programs in their Clean Air Act plans to improve air quality (SIPs and TIPs). EE/RE policies and programs offer the potential to achieve emission reductions at a cost that can be lower than traditional control measures.

Most states have EE/RE policies and programs in place for the power generation sector to meet energy independence goals. The Roadmap will provide clarified guidance and new tools to help air quality planners account for the emission reductions that occur because of these energy-related efforts.

These emission reductions can help states and tribes meet and maintain compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards, as well as reduce regional haze, air toxics, and greenhouse gases. 

To accompany the Roadmap, EPA is providing:

• Hands-on tools for quantifying the emissions impacts of state, tribal and local EE/RE policies and programs.
• Training for air quality planners on the electric energy sector.
• Data on the projected energy impacts of state EE/RE policies to help states and tribes use electricity demand projections from the Energy Information Administration's Annual Energy Outlook 2010.

These resources can help sate, tribal and local agencies assess the magnitude of potential emissions reduction in a particular area and determine whether they want to account for those reductions in their SIPs/TIPs. 

Background

State and local air agencies have committed significant resources to EE/RE policies and programs, which creates new opportunities for state, tribal and local air agencies to consider incorporating EE/RE policies and programs in SIPs and TIPs. For example: 

• In 2011, states committed more than $5 billion of electricity ratepayer funding for energy efficiency -- more than double what was spent in 2006. 
• As of 2011, 29 states and Washington, D.C. have adopted renewable portfolio standards that require retail electricity providers to supply a minimum percentage or amount of retail demand with renewable resources.

In addition, information on the energy and emissions impacts of EE/RE is increasingly widely available from governmental and non-governmental organizations.

EPA intends to update this document periodically, as new information becomes available.

In 2004-2005, EPA issued several guidance documents about incorporating EE/RE policies, programs and measures in SIPs. The Roadmap clarifies these EPA guidance documents: 

• “SIP Credits for Emission Reductions from Electric-Sector Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Measures” (August 2004), which explains how to quantify and include emission reductions from EE/RE measures in SIPs. 
• “Incorporating Emerging and Voluntary Measures in State Implementation Plans” (September 2004), which encourages the development of voluntary and emerging measures that can be included in SIPs.
• “Incorporating Bundled Measures in a State Implementation Plan” (August 2005), which explains how states can identify individual voluntary and emerging measures and "bundle" them in a single SIP submission.