'State' of efficiency on the rise.

• Position: Your Life - Energy efficiency initiatives of US states - Brief article

States are continuing to move strongly to advance energy efficiency initiatives regardless of which political party is in control of legislatures and governors' offices, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), Washington, D.C., which has released its sixth annual State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, showing that the top 10 energy efficiency states are Massachusetts (in its second year atop the rankings), California, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Washington, Maryland, and Minnesota.

The 10 states most in need of improvement (starting with last) are Mississippi, North Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska, Kansas, Missouri, Louisiana, and Nebraska.

The three most improved states are Oklahoma, Montana, and South Carolina. All three significantly increased their budgets for electric efficiency programs, with Oklahoma doing so for the first time. Other states making significant progress include Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, all of which increased budgets for energy...