Center for the New Energy Economy

06/04/2026

Over the last five months, we hosted a series of Policy Opportunity Webinars for Western state policymakers. Each webinar addressed a policy opportunity to reduce electricity costs, decrease emissions, and promote a safe, reliable, and cost-effective grid. We are thrilled by the response we’ve received from legislators, utility commission staff, and state officials from across the region.

To watch recordings of our webinars and access their associated 2-page briefs visit - https://cnee.colostate.edu/repowering-western-economy/

Thank you to those who participated, and to the guest speakers who lent us their expertise and provided focused, accessible, and evidence-based information to our audience.

Lauren Shwisberg, Cara Goldenberg, Gennelle Wilson, Xavier Zheng and Christian Fong from RMI; Katie Schneer and Alex DeGolia of the Environmental Defense Fund; Adam DeVoe of DeVoe Law; Michelle Solomon from Energy Innovation; Clinton Britt and Alex Hopkins of Grove Climate Group; and CNEE’s own Jeff Ackermann.

Repowering the Western Economy is the umbrella for CNEE’s work with Western states and utilities as they transition to clean energy sources. While this dialogue began in 2014 in response to EPA’s Clean Power Plan, the rapid policy and technology changes underway in the Western electricity sector...

05/22/2026

Wow! What a fun interactive session where IEA Wind experts were put into the role of a wind energy neighbor. We all gained new perspectives about including community members in planning that we will take back to our daily work. Thank you to IEA Wind, and session leaders John Aston, Ryan Kilpatrick and Suzanne Tegen!

05/22/2026

Congratulations to Agora Energiewende and Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) on an outstanding Energy Regulatory Exchange program held in Old Windsor, UK, bringing together nearly 200 energy regulators and sector practitioners from 27 countries (and almost every continent) to exchange practical experiences, explore emerging regulatory challenges, and discuss approaches to managing the energy transition. CNEE Senior Policy Advisor and member of RAP’s Council of Commissioners, Michael Richard was grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Setting and Delivering on Regulatory Priorities “fish-bowl” style panel with RAP industry and regulatory experts as well as former Commissioners Jay Griffin and Carl Linvill!

05/06/2026

A decade after we publicly launched our State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) for Clean Energy, CNEE’s Research Manager and SPOT co-creator Trina Hoffer, Ph.D. says, “I am so happy that SPOT continues to serve as a hub of information for existing state clean energy policies and future policy opportunities. Publicly accessible, our database is maintained by an incredible team of policy analysts, research associates, and graduate student interns. It makes me very proud that this resource has educated students, policymakers, and the broader public over its 10-year history. We couldn’t have done this without our fantastic partners, including Climate Xchange, the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center at NC State University, RMI, and ACEEE.”

SPOT provides information on 35 state clean energy policies across 50 states. Find out more about SPOT and how your state is progressing on clean energy policy here - https://www.spotforcleanenergy.org/

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day from the CNEE Team!

04/16/2026

Happy CSU Student Employment Week! Our student interns are essential to our work at the Center for the New Energy Economy. We are so proud of all your accomplishments, and we are thankful that you chose our team! Read more about this incredible group:

Alex Latkovski is working on a Master of Science in Agricultural and Resource Economics at CSU. Alex’s work on load growth for the Center highlights solutions to the environmental, energy affordability, and community concerns related to data centers. His latest work will contribute to our Energy Policy Opportunity Brief series, available here: https://cnee.colostate.edu/repowering-western-economy/.

Brendan Davidson is finishing his PhD in Political Science at CSU. Brendan’s work emphasizes empowering the clean energy workforce, which includes the students he instructs. His latest policy brief for CNEE, on clean energy workforce development, will be showcased at our upcoming Clean Energy Legislative Academy (CELA). For more information about CELA, visit: https://cnee.colostate.edu/clean-energy-legislative-academy/.

MJ Sorapuru is double majoring in Natural Resources and Economics at CSU’s Warner College of Natural Resources. MJ’s work for CNEE has emphasized policies to contain energy costs and ensure energy affordability. MJ is deeply interested in the real-world, human impacts of policy. His latest policy brief will be highlighted in our Energy Policy Opportunity Brief series, available here: https://cnee.colostate.edu/repowering-western-economy/.

Sarai Benitez is a PhD candidate in Political Science at CSU. Sarai’s current research focuses on responsible residential building electrification and policy solutions that ensure that homeowners and renters stay warm safely and affordably. Sarai’s expertise and research will inform our policy briefs and programming at this year’s CELA. For more information about CELA, visit: https://cnee.colostate.edu/clean-energy-legislative-academy/.

Thomas Gifford is finishing his PhD in Economics at CSU. Thomas’ work and interests vary – from the impacts and prevention of wildfires to utility business models to electric vehicles – he is dedicated to the development of effective policy solutions that contribute to a sustainable future. Thomas’ work at CNEE contributes to CELA, our Energy Policy Opportunity Brief series, and the SPOT for Clean Energy, available here: https://www.spotforcleanenergy.org/.


Colorado State University

04/06/2026

CNEE has released our 2025 Impact Report, highlighting our amazing partnerships, projects and research from the past year. Said CNEE’s Acting Director, Dr. Suzanne Tegen, “2025 was an incredibly impactful year with new programming in Western states and the mid-Atlantic. CNEE's interdisciplinary team of energy policy and regulatory experts continues to support the creation of a responsible, reliable, new energy economy for all Americans.”

Key takeaways from our report include:
- Hosting our 9th annual Clean Energy Legislative Academy (CELA) in Golden, Colorado;
- Producing a series of policy opportunity briefs and webinars focused on western energy issues; and
- Engaging with energy transition community leaders at our virtual Evolving the Electric Grid Academy.

Find out more about our work by reading the report here - https://cnee.colostate.edu/cnee-releases-2025-impact-report/

02/27/2026

States can achieve emissions reductions through policy that improves energy affordability and pays for state and local projects that benefit communities and create jobs. Cap-and-invest programs are market-based policies designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by placing a binding, declining limit on total emissions while allowing regulated entities flexibility in how they comply. Funds raised from the purchase of tradable emissions permits can be used to support state priorities such as affordability, infrastructure development, and clean energy deployment.

CNEE’s latest Policy Opportunity Brief discusses the key elements of cap-and-invest and highlights key points for policymakers to consider when developing and implementing these programs. Read the brief here - https://cnee.colostate.edu/repowering-western-economy/

02/09/2026

Thank you, Idaho Water Users Association for including Michael Richard, CNEE Senior Policy Advisor on your panel Data Centers: The Demand for Water & Power” at the IWUA annual summit last week. Michael’s remarks included insights into how states are trying to capture the economic benefits of large load additions like data centers while safeguarding their electric customers. Meanwhile, expanding federal involvement in energy infrastructure and utility regulation is challenging state authority and complicating efforts to maintain affordable, equitable, and reliable service.

Michael Richard was on the panel with Christopher Ritter (Idaho National Laboratory), Kara Cafferty (Idaho National Laboratory), Megan Ronk (Idaho Power) and Adam Wenger (City of Kuna Public Works). The panel was moderated by Paul Arrington, IWUA Executive Director and General Counsel, as part of the IWUA’s annual summit.

02/05/2026

To align state policies and electric utilities, nothing is more critical than integrated resource planning. As the electric system grows more complex – volatile fuel prices, rapid technological innovation, unprecedented load growth, and shifting federal priorities – state policymakers are rethinking and reshaping effective integrated resource plans (IRPs).

Western state legislators and regulators can more effectively engage electric utilities by asking probing, strategic questions that ensure IRPs are transparent, forward‑looking, and aligned with the public interest. Questions like:

- How confident is a utility in its load forecast—and who bears the risk if it’s wrong?
- Are demand‑side and supply‑side resources evaluated on equal footing?
- Are the utilities including substantive, timely and relevant information in their IRPs, such as reliance on regional transmission assets and anticipated transmission constraints?
- Do scenarios sufficiently reflect emerging technologies, major policy shifts, and operational uncertainties?
- Which planning variables have the most impact on customers’ bills?
- Are state policy objectives – emissions, economic development, equitable outcomes, and affordability – integrated into the utility’s decision‑making framework?

More effective leveraging of the IRP process by policymakers doesn’t necessarily require new statutes or reforming planning rules – just greater clarity about expectations. This clarity can ultimately yield more insightful decisions that shape our energy future.

For more insights, explore our new report: Interrogating Integrated Resource Plans,https://cnee.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Integrated-Resource-Planning_FINAL.pdf