This Act amends the standards for the renewable energy portfolio for electrical power producers to be reduced to 20%by 2016. It also authorizes the installation of net energy metering for all eligible residential customer-generators.

The purpose of this legislation 10 is to amend Public Law 15-23 to allow customer-generator or private power producers to produce and sell electricity produced by renewable energy to the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation on a large scale basis and to provide for incentives for the production of renewable energy in the Commonwealth.

This Act prioritises the need for the country to find ways to conserve energy and explore alternative energy sources.The CNMI must reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and move toward the use of renewable energy while setting realistic deadlines for meeting that goal.Therefore, it is the purpose of this act to provide incentives for alternative energy. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands enacted its Renewables Portfolio Standard in September 2007, in which a certain percentage of its net electricity sales must come from renewable energy.

This document serves as a starting point for energy planning and builds upon various prior resource assessments. It addresses a range of energy options focusing on energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, policies, and programs. Various steps are presented, including ready-for-action opportunities as well as those that that require further investigation. This plan will serve as the foundation for formulating actions and implementation strategies.

This document describes the three near-term energy strategies selected by the CNMI Energy Task Force during action planning workshops conducted in March 2013, and outlines the steps being taken to implement those strategies. This action plan incorporates several of the areas identified in the CNMI's Strategic Energy Plan as essential components of a comprehensive approach to developing energy security for the Commonwealth: outreach and education on energy issues, implementing energy efficiency technologies, and developing renewable energy generation. The three energy strategies selected by the task force are: 1. Designing a demand-side management program focusing on utility, residential, and commercial sectors. 2. Developing an outreach and education plan focused on energy conservation in government agencies and businesses, including workplace rules. 3. Exploring waste-to-energy options. The task force also discussed several other medium- and long-term energy strategies that could be explored at a future date. Those strategies are summarized in the Other Approaches section at the end of this document and will be formally explored within the next quarter. Unlike the strategic energy plan, which established the overall long-term goals for energy consumption and electricity generation in the Commonwealth, this action plan selects specific strategies achievable in the short term (1-2 years), breaking those strategies down into feasible incremental steps. Three strategies were agreed upon: 1. Strategy 1. Demand-Side Management Program; Strategy 2. Outreach to Government and Commercial Sectors; Strategy 3. Explore Waste-to-Energy Power Generation.

In 2007 the Cook Islands launched our country’s 2020 visionary framework: Te Kaveinga Nui. The first National Sustainable Development Plan (NSDP) articulated the national vision, and development outcomes desired by Cook Islanders which would be realised through a three phase medium term (5 yearly) planning approach. This document marks the third and final phase of this journey. The National Sustainable Development Plan (NSDP) is an ambitious undertaking which looks to encapsulate the aspirations and ambitions of the country over a 5 year period. This document is the third iteration and builds upon the successes of the previous plans, but also sets out the future framework. In this plan national goals from the NSDP 2011-2015 are further defined into the sixteen readily identifiable, sector based development goals.

This Plan updates the Te Atamoa o te Uira Natura (The Cook Islands Renewable Electricity Chart (CIREC), 2012) and is a guiding document for all stakeholders. The Implementation Plan is aligned with the policy targets and metrics articulated in the National Sustainability Development Plan (NSDP), and in particular, Goal 6: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, modern energy and transport. The renewable energy policy goal is focused on measuring progress on the accessibility, use and composition of energy and transport. The country reaffirms its commitment to international efforts to harness renewable energy to meet its electricity needs, and set electricity targets to be 100% renewable energy by 2020. To achieve the policy goals set by the National Sustainable Development Plan 2016-2020, this plan sets out different solutions based on the relevant characteristics of different islands within the Cook Islands and sets out actions over the next 5 years to 2020.

The law sets out the framework for environmental policy and the guiding principles for the conservation and protection of the environment and for the preservation and sustainable use of natural resources in order to promote the quality of life of the country's citizens.

The Nationally Determined Contributions is an economy-wide policy that fosters sustainable development. The country is committed to reduce its contribution to GHG emissions through a cross-sectoral approach. It outlines mitigation and adaptation options, as well as limits for implementation. These include financial, technological, and human capacities.

The New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement (NZCPS) is a national policy statement under the Resource Management Act 1991 (‘the Act’). The purpose of the NZCPS is to state policies in order to achieve the purpose of the Act in relation to the coastal environment of New Zealand. The coastal environment has characteristics, qualities and uses that mean there are particular challenges in promoting sustainable management, including renewable energy, and minerals found within the coastal environment.