CSG Executive Committee

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, The Council of State Governments encourages state policymakers to recognize the value the electric grid delivers to all and to: evaluate the system-wide benefits and costs of distributed generation (including costs and benefits relating to the investment in and operation of generation and the transmission and distribution grid) so that those costs and benefits relating to distributed generation can be appropriately allocated and made transparent to regulators, legislators and consumers; and facilitate the continued provision of safe, reliable, resilient, secure, cost-effective, and environmentally sound energy services at fair and affordable electric rates as new and innovative technologies are added to the energy mix; and update policies and regulations to ensure that everyone who benefits from the electric power grid helps pay to maintain it and to keep it operating reliably at all times.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that The Council of State Governments requests that the Congress and the Executive Branch work with state and local governments to facilitate a better understanding of the roles and capabilities of governmental entities in protecting networks against possible cyber-attacks and explore how sharing information between states and the federal government – both before and after a breach – can help prevent future attacks or assist in the response to a previous attack.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, The Council of State Governments supports efforts by Congress to regulate e-commerce through legislation that allows States to enforce their existing sales and use tax laws, regardless of the method of transaction, and to collect taxes under state law.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that The Council of State Governments urges the executive branch and Congress to establish a national energy policy that encourages access to and removal of impediments to all available domestic sources of energy; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The Council of State Governments encourages the U.S. EPA to recognize the sovereign power of state regulators to avoid costly litigation; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The Council of State Governments recommends state policymakers work closely with their environmental commissioners, informed by electricity providers and other stakeholders, this resolution and the states’ previous recommendations, to develop comments and where appropriate comments with other states addressing the legal, economic, employment, timing, achievability, affordability, implementation scheduling and reliability issues in the proposed regulations for their state and file them by U.S. EPA’s comment deadline and to stay engaged with U.S. EPA and other relevant federal agencies after the comment period ends and the regulation is finalized to eliminate or minimize the risks and consequences from U.S. EPA’s Clean Power Plan; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The Council of State Governments encourages states to inform their congressional delegations on their evaluations and comments and encourage these representatives to help resolve issues by reducing or eliminating negative consequences from U.S. EPA’s proposed regulation;