Energy Policy
The Center for the New Energy Economy (CNEE) at Colorado State University is an energy policy thinktank that works directly with legislators, regulators, utilities, state energy offices, and communities, to provide non-partisan technical and strategic assistance. CNEE was founded in 2011 by Colorado’s 41st Governor, Bill Ritter, Jr., to conduct energy policy research and foster critical conversations that shape clean energy policies and ensure economic growth, resilience, and security. The Center is led by Acting Director Dr. Suzanne Tegen and is located at the CSU Systems campus in Denver.
Through education and engagement, CNEE enables and facilitates bipartisan dialogue on today’s tough energy issues. Among its programs, the Center hosts the Clean Energy Legislative Academy, a bipartisan coalition of nearly 200 state legislators from 42 states. CNEE also works on electricity markets in the West and with communities on energy siting and economic diversification during the energy transition.
CNEE offers many opportunities for students and researchers, including internships for undergraduate and graduate students and two free, web-based research tools:
Advanced Energy Legislation Tracker
The Advanced Energy Legislation Tracker is the most comprehensive, publicly available tool for state energy legislation in the U.S. This searchable database tracks energy-related legislation across the 50 U.S. States and D.C. and provides information for over 43,000 bills (to date) introduced since 2013, including bill versions, actions, votes, and sponsor information.
State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT)
The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) for Clean Energy provides a clear snapshot of existing state policies as well as opportunities for future policy adoption. The online tool synthesizes existing information related to 35 clean energy policies at the state level. Downloadable policy briefs provide additional information and background about each policy, including examples from other states.