Background

As the demand for electric power increases and the region's power base evolves there is a tremendous opportunity to realize substantial visibility benefits from energy efficiency and energy production from renewable resources. The West enjoys a high potential for renewable energy production. The Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission adopted the goals of increasing the efficiency with which energy is used and producing 10 percent of the region's electric power from renewable energy in 2005 and 20 percent by 2015.

Mission

The Air Pollution Prevention Forum (APPF) will examine barriers impeding the use of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies, identify actions to overcome such barriers, and recommend renewable energy, energy efficiency, and economic development policies that, if implemented, will reduce visibility-impairing emissions created by the region's energy production and end-use sectors.

Objectives

A. Recommend programs and policies that could result in 10 percent of the region's generation from renewable resources in 2005 and 20 percent by 2015 by:

1. Examining economic and institutional barriers impeding the use of renewable energy in the region;
2. Identifying and evaluating economic incentives, legislative actions and regulatory policies to overcome such barriers and to increase investments in renewable energy technologies, including, but not limited to: i. Renewable portfolio standards; ii. System benefit charges; iii. Emissions cap and trade systems; iv. Changes in state federal tax systems; v. Green power marketing and information disclosure; and vi. Other actions (eg. transmission pricing reform, state and federal renewable energy purchases);
3. Recommending market-based incentives and policies that will increase the use of technologies that will contribute to achieving the GCVTC goal of generating 10 percent of the region's electricity from renewables by 2005 and 20 percent by 2015; and
4. Determine actions currently underway in the region that can overcome the barriers to increased generation of electricity from renewable resources in the region.

B. Recommend programs and policies that will increase the efficiency with which energy is used in all sectors, except in the mobile source sector, which is addressed by the Mobile Source Forum.

1. Examine barriers restricting the penetration of energy efficient technologies and adoption of energy conservation practices in the region;
2. Identify and evaluate economic incentives, legislative actions and regulatory policies that will increase investments in energy efficiency, including actions currently underway in all or parts of the region. For example, adopting the California Energy Standards, reinstatement of incentives for energy efficient buildings, continuation of demand side management programs and system benefit charges to fund conservation programs; and
3. Recommend market-based incentives and public policies that will increase the energy efficiency of the region's energy production and end-use sectors.

C. Recommend economic development programs and policies that will foster the development of renewable resource and energy efficiency industries in the region.

1. Examine industrial recruitment and economic development strategies practiced throughout the U.S.;
2. Identify and evaluate those strategies being successfully used to attract energy efficiency and renewable energy industries; and
3. Recommend economic incentives and economic development policies that would encourage the relocation or creation of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies-based industries in the region.

Work Tasks

1. Develop a scoping paper on the barriers to expanded renewable energy generation and actions that can overcome such barriers.

2. Prioritize areas for detailed analysis based on the goal of 10 percent generation from renewables in 2005 and 20 percent generation in 2015.

3. Identify needed coordination with other forums, particularly the Market Trading Forum, the Modeling Forum and the In and Near Forum.

4. Evaluate actions to meet the GCVTC renewable energy generation goals.

5. Examine the ability of existing data collection systems to quantify progress towards meeting the GCVTC renewable energy generation goals.

6. Prepare a consensus report and make recommendations to the IOC on the policies and programs necessary to reach the GCVTC renewable energy generation goals.

7. Assist states and tribes in implementing renewable energy recommendations adopted by the IOC.

8. Develop a scoping paper on opportunities to improve the efficient use of energy in the region beginning with an identification of existing programs and policies to promote efficiency (e.g., efficiency standards for appliances, motors, and lighting, energy efficient building programs, demand side management).

9. Examine new opportunities to promote energy efficiency within the changing electric power industry such as system benefits charges.

10. Prepare a consensus report and make recommendations to the IOC on actions to increase energy efficiency in the region.

11. Assist Tribes and States in implementing recommendations adopted by the IOC.

Deliverables

1. Scoping paper on renewable energy in the West.

2. Scoping paper on energy efficiency policies and programs.

3. Consensus report to the IOC.

4. Assistance to States and Tribes

Schedule

1. Renewables scoping paper 10/99

2. Energy efficiency scoping paper 2/00

3. Recommendations to IOC 12/00