It can be easy to lose perspective on how energy and environmental policy impacts nearly every moment of our lives. There’s not a home, building, mode of transportation, or profession that isn’t impacted in some way by national and state energy policy.
For decades, politics has muddied the waters of sensible, sustainable, and affordable energy. Additionally, the definition of “green” or “environmentally friendly” is too often formed around rhetoric instead of data.
Fortunately, SPN partners around the country have become leaders in the energy and environmental policy space and have successfully guided their states to forward-thinking, effective, and affordable energy policy solutions.
This year, our Network secured eight energy and environmental policy wins across seven states.
Here are a couple of highlights:
Streamlining energy reforms in Ohio
Energy affordability is essential in every area of the nation, but in the areas where growth is exploding, residents can’t afford to let energy policy be an afterthought.
That’s why, with Ohio becoming a major destination for data center construction, The Buckeye Institute took the lead on ensuring Ohio’s energy policies are primed for the future.
Thanks to the research, advocacy, and leadership of Buckeye’s team, Ohio legislators passed one of the most significant energy reform bills the state has seen in decades.
The bill Buckeye worked with lawmakers to get past the finish line, represents a model of free-market energy policy that promotes competition, transparency, and removes barriers to affordable energy. In particular, the new law will lower the cost and speed up the process of new energy generation.
Key provisions of the bill include:
- New power plants have an expedited permitting process
- Reduced taxes for new energy generation
- Ensures no special taxes or fees for specific energy users (like data centers)
- Requires competitive bidding for electricity rates so that prices reflect market costs instead of being set by utilities.
- Eliminates or reduces government subsidies and incentives (estimated to save about $100 million a year)
- Transparency heat map on transmission—looking at how much existing infrastructure is currently being used
- Energy companies will need to open their books through a traditional rate case to justify additional charges rather than just attaching riders without explanation to ratepayers.
- Bans utility ownership of power plants, preventing monopolies and encouraging competition.
These reforms represent an incredible victory for efficiency, affordability, and free-market ideals in the energy realm. As Rea Hederman, a member of SPN’s Energy Working Group and vice president of policy at Buckeye explains, “Ohio is now a national leader in smart, free-market energy policy. While more work remains to ensure cost transparency and protect consumers from overpaying for costly infrastructure, The Buckeye Institute-championed policies are pro-consumer and pro-business—ending costly, uncompetitive subsidies, bringing back greater predictability in public utility rate cases, and incentivizing new energy development.”
Winning a victory for clean energy in Colorado
Nuclear energy is the single largest source of carbon-free electricity in the US. And even though less reliable and more expensive alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar, are often the focus of “green” energy advocates, more and more legislators are acknowledging the real benefits of nuclear.
This year, thanks to the leadership and championing of The Independence Institute, Colorado became the latest state to add nuclear energy to the state’s list of clean energy sources. While this might sound like a surface win, this designation means nuclear power is now eligible for new government projects that require the use of clean resources. This also allows nuclear energy to count towards the state’s climate goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Independence has long been the leader on this issue. Years ago, Independence experts met with lawmakers to propose amending state statutes to include nuclear under the definition of clean. Independence experts also testified in favor of the bill each time it appeared in a legislative committee and produced three major policy reports providing data and facts showing why this was a necessary change. Then, sensing this year could be a turning point, Independence hosted an early-session event on the bill that featured some of its sponsors in the legislature, a bipartisan group of environmental advocates, and Independence Institute’s energy experts, where they discussed why the reform was important for Colorado’s future.
Because of the work and foresight of the Independence Institute, Colorado’s energy future is not only cleaner and more affordable, it’s primed for a truly safer and more efficient future.
Moving South Carolina in the right energy direction
Nuclear power is one of the most effective energy solutions available, and as the Palmetto Promise Institutehas shown, the technology and options around nuclear are growing and expanding.
In 2024, Palmetto released their report Small Modular Reactors: An Answer to South Carolina’s Energy Crisis. The report explained how, “nuclear energy, a zero-emission clean source of electricity, is a heartening answer to South Carolina’s energy challenges. Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), in particular, represent an innovative approach to nuclear power generation. These compact reactors offer significant advantages over traditional nuclear reactors.”
For nearly a year, Palmetto’s team worked with legislators and educated the public on the promise and opportunities of SMRs. As Jennifer Buckley, Palmetto’s Research Fellow explains, “Our report was one of the first in South Carolina to explore SMRs not only as a technological solution but as a viable, near-term policy option. We showed how SMRs could help solve South Carolina’s twin challenges of reliability and affordability. The report outlined how other states and countries are moving forward with SMRs and offered concrete policy recommendations tailored to South Carolina’s regulatory environment.”
Because of Palmetto’s incredible advocacy for SMRs, South Carolina’s leaders have begun the process of researching how the state can use and implement SMRs, and how to incorporate SMRs as a part of the state’s overall energy strategy.
Making energy affordable in North Carolina
Energy costs are on the rise. That pain is felt by families struggling to make ends meet, businesses trying to keep their costs down, and individuals simply trying to budget effectively.
In an effort to make energy prices more affordable in North Carolina, The John Locke Foundationworked with lawmakers to repeal the costly and misguided interim goals of the state’s “Carbon Plan.”
In short, in 2021, North Carolina passed new energy regulations that aimed to cut carbon emissions by 70% by 2030. To do that, the state implemented many policies that were not only shortsighted, but unaffordable and unreliable.
At every stage of North Carolina’s energy debate, John Locke’s team has been front and center, advocating for sustainable, reliable, affordable, and environmental energy options. And in 2025, thanks in large part to Locke, North Carolina lawmakers passed The Power Bill Reduction Act (SB266). As Jon Sanders, the Director of the Center for Food, Power, and Life at the John Locke Foundation explains, “The Power Bill Reduction Act eliminates the Carbon Plan’s interim goal of a 70% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation resources.” The new bill rolls back that timeline-driven target and replaces it with a renewed focus on reliability, affordability, and least-cost energy planning.
Despite the legislature passing SB266 with a bipartisan vote, Gov. Josh Stein vetoed the popular bill after citing misleading data.
But once again, thanks to The John Locke Foundation’s leadership, the North Carolina General Assembly overrode Gov. Stein’s veto, making SB266 law and ushering in a future of affordable energy in the Tar Heel State.
Powering Pennsylvania Properly
The debate has gone on for decades. Advocates for “green”-energy-at-any-cost battle advocates for sustainable, environmental, and affordable energy solutions. Unfortunately, rhetoric often wins over data and facts.
The Regional Greenhous Gas Initiative (RGGI) is an example of one of those flawed policies. In short, the RGGI, “operates a cap-and-trade program in which participating states set a collective cap on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. Power generators must purchase allowances for each ton of CO2 they emit, and the cap gradually decreases over time to encourage emission reductions. RGGI allowances are passed down as a burdensome carbon tax—increasing energy costs and threatening grid reliability and energy jobs.”
The Commonwealth Foundation has long been a source for reliable data, commentary, and perspective on Pennsylvania’s energy outlook. Yet despite Commonwealth sounding the alarm on the RGGI for years, multiple governors favored joining it in an attempt to make the state more “green.”
But there were a few problems with this goal.
As Commonwealth’s experts showed, being a part of the RGGI would dramatically increase Pennsylvania’s energy costs without reducing Pennsylvania’s emissions more than they already were decreasing.
Data showed that Pennsylvania was already a leader in emissions reduction before the RGGI. Between 2018 and 2023, Pennsylvania reduced its emissions by nine million metric tons, New York only dropped one and New Jersey dropped five. Also, the Keystone State not only reduced emissions, but increased energy production while doing it.
Additionally, data showed that the RGGI would increase Pennsylvanians electric bills by 30%.
Even though there was significant momentum around Pennsylvania fully becoming part of the RGGI, Commonwealth’s team never wavered. They launched a robust campaign that included communications with lawmakers, original content, op-eds, and marketing to taxpayers.
As state lawmakers began deliberating the 2025 budget, Commonwealth’s experts showed the flaws of the RGGI and how it would significantly hurt the state’s budget. Finally after months of political gamesmanship, logic and data won out and lawmakers removed Pennsylvania from the RGGI for good.
Thanks to the Commonwealth Foundation, the energy future (and budgets) of Pennsylvanians is secure.
Protecting the environment through tech
Wildfires have unfortunately become a growing annual phenomenon. (The debate around the causes of wildfires is also an unfortunate annual tradition). But the need to identify and mitigate wildfires is an urgent priority for many Western states.
The Mountain States Policy Center, in addition to their work in areas like education, fiscal reform, agriculture, and many others, is a source for trustworthy data and insight into fire mitigation policy.
In July, 2024, Mountain States published the article Artificial Intelligence can be our first line of defense in limiting the effects of wildfires. In it, they laid out why Western states should follow California’s lead (perhaps one of the only times that sentence has been written) and enact technology-first wildfire prevention policies. Mountain States showed how Artificial Intelligence and satellite technology can be used to detect wildfires faster than 911 calls or fire monitors.
Mountain States educated legislators and the public with facts and relevant data to make informed decisions about Idaho’s fire fighting policies.
The work paid off.
During the 2025 legislative session, the Idaho legislature approved funding for AI-powered fire detection systems as well as satellite fire-detection systems. As Sebastian Griffin, Mountain States’ policy expert explained it, “[these programs] give nearby firefighters the ability to pinpoint a wildfire in real time. Idaho’s satellite-based wildfire detection system means Idaho is working cohesively with satellite technology to discover fires deep within the wilderness and Idaho’s most remote lands. The rest of the country can learn from Idaho’s bold innovation. By building on the Gem State’s example, our region can become a national leader in wildfire resilience, protecting families, communities, and the natural beauty that defines our highly desired way of life.”
Rapidly responding to energy challenges
As with every policy focus area, SPN’s policy experts have many energy policy goals. And a major key to achieving those goals is SPN’s Rapid Response Energy Teams. As we explained in our Summer issue of SPN News, SPN’s Rapid Response Teams are “a coordinated network of experts, policy analysts, and legislative strategists who quickly engage in state-level battles as they arise. The Rapid Response Teams serve three critical goals: Stopping harmful policies that threaten energy reliability. Educating lawmakers on the complexities of energy policy. And advancing sound reforms that protect America’s energy future and each state’s right to power its grid. These teams are built to respond quickly and with precision. With former federal officials, legislative staffers, and state policy veterans on call, SPN partners are able to inject expert-level guidance directly into fast-moving legislative debates.”
Thanks to the Rapid Response teams, Arizona’s grid stability and affordability was secured, Arkansas lawmakers were given accurate data and precise statutory language to protect energy ratepayers, SPN experts testified before Congress on proper forest management and wildfire prevention policies, and Delaware and New Jersey taxpayers avoided the damages from a rushed offshore wind project.
The nation will always need power. There are safe, sustainable, environmentally conscious, and affordable way to supply that power. But those solutions require advocates. SPN and SPN partners across the country are filling that role.