Under the shadow of global warming, three more states have taken
steps to cut emissions from greenhouse gases. This summer,
Illinois, New Mexico and North Carolina announced strict new
minimum standards for the use of renewable power. The so-called
Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards (RPS) requires utilities to
obtain a minimum percentage of their total power supply from
alternative sources, such as wind power, solar and biomass. In
August, the Illinois General Assembly approved the Rate Relief
and Reform Package, which will include an RPS and an Energy
Efficiency Portfolio Standard (EEPS). The RPS will require
Illinois utilities to supply 2 percent of the state’s power from
renewable energy sources by the year 2008. The minimum
requirement gradually increases to 10 percent in 2015 and to 25
percent in the year 2025. The state’s EEPS will require
utilities to reduce their delivery load by increasing amounts
ranging from .2 percent of demand in 2008 up to 2 percent by
2015. It will effectively stop electricit