In states with mandatory standards, utilities are required to generate and sell a set portion of power output using renewable sources. Some states have applied the mandates only to investor-owned utilities, others include municipalities and electric cooperatives.

The measures have spurred investment in renewable energy, creating a market estimated by the U.S. Energy Information Administration at $44 billion a year.

The goal of the Paris Agreement, which was signed by nearly 200 countries, is to prevent global temperatures from rising by more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The United States is the world's second-biggest carbon polluter, after China.

Correction: This story was revised to correct that the push to cut carbon emissions is underway in 37 states and the District of Columbia.

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