ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the relative lack of action on climate change at the federal level of government in the US has created a policy space and a regulatory vacuum which a number of US states (California, Illinois, Texas, and Pennsylvania) and cities (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, Austin, and Kansas City) have sought to fill in a substantive way, creating an arena of vibrant debate and activity. The climate change policies of a number of states have led to a political backlash with resultant changes in political control from Democrat to Republican at the state level. One policy approach to tackling climate change which has gained political traction in a number of US states is what is known as an energy efficiency resource standard (EERS). It is a performance based mechanism that requires electricity and natural gas distributors to achieve a percentage of energy efficiency relative to a baseline.
