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Associated with a recent announcement about an Executive Order for the drafting of potential regulatory structure for a carbon-trading program to be put out for public comment and then consideration under Virginia’s next Governor, Governor Terry McAuliffe tweeted out that this would “keep VA #1 on climate issues”.

So I'm signing this directive to build a better future for our children, create good paying jobs for families & keep Va #1 on climate issues pic.twitter.com/rROvSmBSjM

— Terry McAuliffe (@TerryMcAuliffe) May 16, 2017

While that tweet generated some ridiculing from clean energy activists, McAuliffe’s tweeting assertion raising the question: What does it mean to be “#1 on climate issues”?

Which States Lead on Renewable Energy Policy and Progress

How might we measure this? Here are some potential items:

• Carbon Emissions per capita?
• Energy use per capita?
• Energy Efficiency? (home? business? car?)
• ‘Climate-aware policies’?
• Industrial pollution?
• “Leading the charge on renewable energy”?
• Or …

Thus, a quick search for ‘what measurements’ might exist to help illuminate the question of who is “#1 on climate issues”.  Essentially, across the board, Virginia is middle-of-the-pack (or toward the bottom) in results, , and policies to address climate change.

Table 1: Various Measures of States related to “Climate Issues”

While some of these are straightforward quantitative measures, many are real analytical efforts seeking to have open methodologies (enabling repeatability & long-term trend analysis) with real associated metrics.

The Union of Concerned Scientist’s April 2017 report Clean Energy Momentum: Ranking State Progress is a quite interesting report.

Our easy-to-understand ranking uses 12 metrics in three broad areas to gauge state leadership.

• Technical progress: How much of a state’s electricity generation is based on renewable energy and how quickly has that changed in recent years? How much electricity are state utility programs saving, and how strong are electric vehicle sales?
• Direct, visible effects on our daily lives: How many jobs has clean energy created in each state? How much has it reduced pollution from power plants?
• Policies to build the momentum for the future: How much progress has a state made on policies to promote renewable energy, energy efficiency, and carbon reduction?

The UCS analysis identifies clear leaders among the 50 states

As can be seen in the graphic above, the UCUSA analysis does not find Virginia in the top 10 states in “clean energy moment” (nor, actually, even worth mention in its 24 pages).

The Wallet Hub analysis of ‘greenest states’, for example, results in a ranking states overall (Virginia 31) and, as components. on their ‘environmental quality (Virginia 46), eco-friendly behaviors (Virginia 39), and climate change contributions (Virginia 15). As per their methodology, this is how they derived each category and then the overall score.

Environmental Quality – Total Points: 35

• Total Municipal Solid Waste per Capita: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Air Quality: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the average exposure of the general public to particulate matter of 2.5 microns (PM2.5) or less in size.
• Water Quality: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Soil Quality: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the median soil pH level.
• Energy-Efficiency Score: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)

Eco-Friendly Behaviors – Total Points: 35

• Green Buildings: Full Weight (~3.18 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the number of LEED-certified buildings per capita.
• Total Capacity of Solar PV Systems Installed per Household: Full Weight (~3.18 Points)
  Note: “PV” is an acronym for photovoltaic.
• Share of Energy Consumption from Renewable Sources: Full Weight (~3.18 Points)
• Energy Consumption per Capita: Full Weight (~3.18 Points)
• Gasoline Consumption (in Gallons) per Capita: Full Weight (~3.18 Points)
• Daily Water Consumption per Capita: Full Weight (~3.18 Points)
• Alternative-Fuel Vehicles per Capita: Full Weight (~3.18 Points)
  Note: Energy Information Administration (EIA) provides data for the number of alternative-fuel vehicles for these four fleets only: federal government agencies, state government agencies, transit agencies and fuel providers.
• Alternative-Fuel Stations per Capita: Full Weight (~3.18 Points)
• Green Transportation: Full Weight (~3.18 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the percentage of the population who walk, bike, carpool, take public transportation or work from home.
• Average Commute Time by Car: Full Weight (~3.18 Points)
• Share of Recycled Municipal Solid Waste: Full Weight (~3.18 Points)

Climate-Change Contributions – Total Points: 30

• Carbon-Dioxide Emissions per Capita: Full Weight (~7.50 Points)

• Methane Emissions per Capita: Full Weight (~7.50 Points)

• Nitrous-Oxide Emissions per Capita: Full Weight (~7.50 Points)

• Fluorinated Greenhouse-Gas Emissions per Capita: Full Weight (~7.50 Points)

Governor McAuliffee tweeted that his recent executive order would “keep VA #1 on climate issues”. A simple question: by what measure?