In recent years, national energy policy efforts have been increasingly driven by state-level interests. For example, during the U.S. Congressional climate change legislation debates spanning 2007 to 2010, interest groups in the Midwest were particularly concerned about the negative impact that proposed caps on emissions might have on state economies. At the same time, where the federal government has failed to act, state governments have taken the lead with innovative new policies for low-carbon energy development such as renewable energy portfolio standards and regional carbon trading agreements. Those responsible for representing constituent interests at the state and local level often base their decision making about energy development on preconceptions about the effect of proposed changes. Yet analysts’ ability to predict the effects of state or national policies, or to measure whether actual outcomes resemble the theoretical potential of these polices, at the state or local remains limited. In this panel three different teams of researchers will present their approaches to model energy-economy interactions at the state/substate level. This will provide an opportunity to compare and contrast across a number of issues including structure, data, and goals in the modelling process.