NEMWI Releases Northeastern States Clean and Efficient Energy “Covered Bases” Scorecard

NEMWI has released a new scorecard covering energy policy in the northeastern United States. The scorecard examines which of the most prominent policies and policy tools these states decide to use to advance clean and efficient energy within their borders. The results are focused on how many “covered bases” each state has in terms of policy options, rather than on efficacy. This information can be used to determine where the gaps are in state policy-making, and  as a jumping-off point for narrower policy research that does focus on efficacy.

The scorecard covers the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Several of the country’s leading states in energy policy are in the northeast, and as such, the region provides valuable information about the wide range of policy options available to states.

Data for this scorecard was gathered from DSIRE, the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center’s Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency. The scorecard is divided into two separate parts: the report that discusses the results and methodology of the scorecard, as well as opportunities for future research, and the scoring sheet, which contains detailed data tables and statistics.

Read the report here. 

Reported by NEMWI Intern Owen Macdonald, Gettysburg College.

ICRCC Releases 2024 Invasive Carp Action Plan

The Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ICRCC) last week released their Invasive Carp Action Plan. Updated annually, the Action Plan details the ICRCC’s approach to combatting Invasive Carp, which pose a significant threat to the ecology and economy of the Great Lakes and the region.

The 2024 Action Plan includes 45 projects, funded by $26.4 million in agency funding (from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Great Lakes Fisheries Commission, among others), and an additional $21 million from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). Projects focus on preventing invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes, particularly from the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) but also from other potential entry points in Ohio and Indiana. Other areas of focus include preventing the establishment of a grass carp population in the Great Lakes. Grass carp have been found in all Great Lakes except Lake Superior, but populations are small enough that they can be controlled.

Projects include the testing and evaluation of an acoustic barrier to deter upstream carp movement, contract fishing in the upper Illinois Waterway that aims to remove one million pounds of carp, early detection and monitoring systems, and Operation and Maintenance of the Electric Dispersal Barrier System.

For a comprehensive list of projects and funding, read the Action Plan here.

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