For this year state legislatures in the U.S. have introduced at least 329 climate change bills that address greenhouse gas emissions, up from 188 in 2018 and 255 in 2017, according to an Associated Press count of energy legislation monitored by the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University. Some states are turning to renewable energy targets and energy efficiency programs in hopes of addressing climate change. Eleven states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, that either flipped the governor’s seat from Republican to Democrat or saw Democrats win newfound control over the Legislature in the 2018 elections, have passed or are weighing legislation that would expand renewables in their states.
By Marina Villeneuve and Michael Casey, Associated Press and Kansas City Star, April 27, 2019
