State Legislation from Around the Country

The following are examples of both enacted and introduced climate change legislation from around the country.

State Climate Change Commissions

Executive or legislative commissions examine the possible consequences of climate change for a state and the costs and benefits associated with addressing them, and develop recommendations for appropriate policies.

• Alaska Climate Impact Assessment Commission [1] (pdf)
  • Alaska HCR30 Fact Sheet [2]

• Arkansas Governor's Commission on Global Warming [3] (pdf)

• North Carolina Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change [4] (pdf)

• Arizona Climate Action Initiative [5]
• Kansas Executive Order 08-03 [6]

Climate Action Plans

Often building on the work of their commissions, states design climate action plans tailored to their specific circumstances, seeking the most effective way to address climate change.

• Connecticut Climate Action Plan [7] (pdf)

• Maine Climate Action Plan [8]
• Colorado Climate Action Plan [9]
• Florida Energy and Climate Action Plan (Phase 1) [10] (pdf)

Greenhouse Gas Reporting

Several states have begun implementing either mandatory or voluntary reporting of greenhouse gas emissions from major sources. The Climate Registry is a non-profit organization that aims to measure and publicly report greenhouse gas emissions in a common, accurate, and transparent manner consistent across industry sectors and borders.

• California Climate Action Registry
  • California SB 1771 [11] (pdf)
  • California SB 527 [12] (pdf)

• Wisconsin Legislation
  • Wisconsin Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting [13] (pdf)
  • Wisconsin Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Registry [14] (pdf)

• West Virginia Inventory and Reporting [15] (pdf)
• The Climate Registry [16]

Economy-Wide Greenhouse Gas Reductions

This type of legislation establishes an economy-wide emissions target for the entire state.

• Hawaii HB 226 [17] (pdf)
• Minnesota SF 145 [18]
• California AB 32 (Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006) [19] (pdf)
  • California AB 32 Fact Sheet [20] (pdf)

Greenhouse Gas Performance Standards for Electric Power

These requirements ensure that all electricity used in a state is produced with certain greenhouse gas emissions standards.

• California SB 1368 [21] (pdf)
  • SB 1368 Fact Sheet [22] (pdf)

• Washington SB 6001 [23] (pdf)
• Minnesota Out-of-State Carbon Sequestration [24]

Greenhouse Gas Performance Standards for Vehicles

By law states have the option of either following federal emissions standards for cars and light trucks or following California's standards. Other states that have already adopted or are in the process of adopting the California standard include Arizona, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

• California AB 1493 [22] (pdf)

• New Jersey Vehicle Emissions Standards Legislation [25] (pdf)

• Washington Vehicle Emissions Standards Legislation [26] (pdf)
  
• States Poised to Adopt California's Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Standards (map) [27]
• California Vehicle Standards
  [28]

Emissions Reductions in the Transportation Sector

In many states, transportation is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Some states have enacted laws that aim to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the future.

• Washington HB 2815 (pdf) [29]

Source: National Caucus of Environmental Legislators. For more information, visit the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators [30] website.