NAACP "JUST ENERGY POLICIES" REPORT RELEASED

The NAACP has released a new report that evaluates energy policy in all 50 states from a civil rights perspective. “Just Energy Policies: Reducing Pollution and Creating Jobs,” is an analysis of each state’s energy sector policies based on environmental and economic impacts.

NAACP environmental and climate justice director, Jacqueline Patterson, commented about the report’s expectations:

The ‘Just Energy Policies’ report lays out a vision, supported by practical data, for a transition from harmful energy production processes in our communities to an energy efficient and clean energy policy landscape that reduces pollution and creates new jobs.

The report assesses states on five different criteria: Renewable Portfolio Standards, Energy Efficiency Resource Standards, Net Metering Standards, Local Hire Provisions, and Minority Business Enterprise Provisions.  Additionally, the report lays out the potential for each state to become a leader in clean energy.

It discovered that Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York rank as the states with the best energy policies, while Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee are ranked at the bottom.