Using the State Energy Policy Simulator to Support Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Planning

This fact sheet describes the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS), an open-source tool developed by RMI and Energy Innovation to help states estimate the impacts of climate and energy policies. It specifically outlines how the EPS can be used by state governments to meet the requirements of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program, including GHG inventory, emissions projections, and benefits analysis.

• The Energy Policy Simulator (EPS) is a free, open-source model designed to estimate the human health, economic, and environmental effects of energy and climate policies. It features a web interface for non-technical users to test policy scenarios in real-time across sectors such as agriculture, industry, buildings, electricity, and transportation, as well as components like geoengineering, waste management, and hydrogen supply.
• RMI and Energy Innovation have created state-level EPS models for all lower 48 states, utilizing data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and other state and federal sources. The tool has been used in semi-official or official capacities for climate action planning by the states of Colorado, Rhode Island, New Mexico, Minnesota, and Louisiana.
• The EPS provides a wide range of annual outputs, including the emissions of eight pollutants plus CO2, nitrogen oxides [NOx], sulfur oxides [SOx], and fine particulate matter [PM2.5]. It also tracks electricity sector composition, vehicle fleet composition (including electric vehicles), fuel imports and exports, and economic impacts such as GDP, jobs, and direct cash flow for consumers, labor, government, and five energy-supplying industries.
• The EPS can support the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program, where 46 states are receiving $3 million each for GHG reduction planning to compete for $4.6 billion in implementation grants. Specifically, the EPS can fulfill CPRG requirements by calculating emissions by sector for GHG inventories, projecting state emissions through 2050, building bottom-up scenarios to meet reduction targets, and estimating co-benefits such as economic development and public health improvements.

APA

RMI (2023). Using the State Energy Policy Simulator to Support Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Planning. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/dlm_uploads/2023/09/why_use_the_eps_for_cprg_fall_2023.pdf

Chicago

RMI. Using the State Energy Policy Simulator to Support Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Planning. 2023. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/dlm_uploads/2023/09/why_use_the_eps_for_cprg_fall_2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Using the State Energy Policy Simulator to Support Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Planning |date=2023 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/dlm_uploads/2023/09/why_use_the_eps_for_cprg_fall_2023.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2023using, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Using the State Energy Policy Simulator to Support Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Planning}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2023}, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/dlm_uploads/2023/09/why_use_the_eps_for_cprg_fall_2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }