Knowledge Center
We believe that sharing our expertise and collaborations in clean energy policy is how real, effective change happens.
From reports and policy briefs, to webinars and podcasts—RAP advisors have built an extensive collection of resources providing in-depth analysis and practical solutions to today’s energy challenges.
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The harsh weather and inaccessible geography of rural Alaska communities pose significant energy challenges to the region, including keeping electricity and other energy costs very high compared to the lower 48 and even more populous regions of the state. Many… View Summary +
Though ongoing legal challenges have delayed the timeline of the U.S. Clean Power Plan, states are continuing to make decisions about how to approach eventual compliance. Among these decisions is whether to pursue market-based approaches—multi-state or regional markets that trade… View Summary +
Planning for compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) is raising many questions for state regulators. How, for example, will compliance affect voluntary and regulatory renewable energy markets? How can carbon trading under mass-based and rate-based… View Summary +
Under the proposed Clean Power Plan (CPP), traditional air regulation based on solutions at individual generation plants will shift to a more flexible approach based on four building blocks, one of which is energy efficiency. Given most states’ experience with… View Summary +
Ensuring that an acceptable level of electric system reliability is maintained as the Clean Power Plan is implemented is in everyone’s interest. This short paper suggests ways states can think about their reliability targets and associated tolerance bands in assessing… View Summary +
Renewable energy is one of the four building blocks outlined in the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, and states are likely to rely upon the production of renewable energy as a part of their efforts to control carbon in the electric… View Summary +
With the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed Section 111(d) New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for new plants published in January 2014—and a proposed rule for existing fossil generators expected in June 2014—many states are exploring the development of… View Summary +
With over a half-dozen environmental regulations expected in the next several years, many state energy regulators find themselves having to reach beyond their traditional regulatory boundaries to understand the effects of public health and environmental regulations on the energy sector. View Summary +
In this webinar presentation, Ken Colburn and David Farnsworth previewed the forthcoming RAP paper “Further Preparing for EPA Regulations.” They explored how public health and environmental considerations will need to increasingly factor into energy policy decisions, and vice versa. By… View Summary +
In this paper RAP assesses the suitability for tracking CO2 emissions associated with electricity imported into the RGGI region of two energy attribute tracking systems currently in use in the RGGI region. The paper explores the capacity of the Generation… View Summary +
In this brief memo, RAP considers the role that utility market factors such as the price of natural gas, can play in the context of emerging environmental regulations and in regulatory compliance strategies. Utilities will consider both regulatory compliance and… View Summary +
The D.C. Circuit’s Homer City decision doesn’t eliminate the uncertainty about environmental regulations that has vexed public utility commissions, the utilities they regulate, and the investment community for more than a decade. At a minimum, it extends that uncertainty farther… View Summary +
The purpose of this paper is to give utility regulators an appreciation for the breadth of issues that may cause cost impacts on fossil-fuel power plants over the coming decades. The paper begins with a brief recital of major forthcoming… View Summary +
This paper provides utility regulators with an outline of initial steps for developing an in-depth understanding of EPA rules and regulations. It includes a review of the EPA’s proposed rules as of May 2011, with a focus on compliance flexibility. View Summary +
This IssuesLetter evaluates clean energy policies in six Midwestern states: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. It focuses on legislation, climate action plans, energy efficiency and renewable energy. View Summary +