Energy Policy in the U.S.
Politics, Challenges, and Prospects for Change
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC POLICY
A Comprehensive Publication Program
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
EVAN M. BERMAN
Distinguished University Professor
J. William Fulbright Distinguished Scholar
National Chengchi University
Taipei, Taiwan
Founding Editor
JACK RABIN
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First published 2011 by Taylor & Francis
Published 2019 by Routledge
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2011 Taylor & Francis
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For Mom and Rachel,
and
For Meghan, Michael, Sara, and Janet
This book is about the policies and policy-forming processes that our governmentsfederal, state, and localhave taken, are taking, and are proposing to take in their efforts to reach the elusive goal of energy independence. The object of the book is to bring to light some of the difficulties that constrain governments efforts to forge energy policyand to stick with it once it is formed.
The task of framing an energy policy for the country involves balancing the national and international concerns of conservation, economic growth, greater efficiency in the use of energy, and promoting invention and innovation in both existing and new energy resources. An additional goal of energy policy today is continual improvement in the security of domestic and international energy resources and distribution infrastructure.
For many Americans, true security for the nation and its vital energy supplies will occur only when we have eliminated our dependence upon other countries for our energy supplies. For many others, however, the goal of energy independence is an unrealistic dreama chimera that obscures the fact that international trading in energy is always going to exist and, therefore, should be adjusted to result in greater advantage for the United States. Of course, that is the nature of public policy making; for every position there are one or more alternative proposed solutions.
Just as it is not proscriptive, neither is this book prescriptive; it does not point fingers, demand program revisions, or offer panaceas. Easy answers to the problems of energy and energy policy simply do not exist. There are just too many options and too many barriers, none of which can readily result in enough reliable, affordable, dependable, clean energy to erase our need to import a significant proportion of our energy supplies. Instead, this is a book that describes the efforts that clear-headed and farsighted men and women in government, industry, and private life are taking to address the interrelated issues of energy, climate warming, and public policy.
Why Worry about Energy?
This book has three goals. First, it recognizes that regardless of what some people would have you believe, there are no viable immediate or even short-term solutions to the problem of our dependence upon foreign oil. To the contrary: achieving energy independence may not be possible for 50 years or longer, if then. Second, the Obama administrations early published energy policies warn that the process will indeed require a commitment to long-range objectives and programs, many of which require significant investment in research before they can be implemented. Third, the U.S. Department of Energy uses the target date of 2030 in many of its studies. This apparently allows sufficient time for the departments research and development proposals and programs to come to fruition and to begin to make an impact on our reliance on foreign energy supplies. We believe this is too long a wait.
Just because there are no short-term solutions to the dependence on foreign sources of energy, this does not mean to suggest that we can afford to stop trying to get a better handle on our energy problems. There are many things that can and should be done now to ease the immediate problems and possibly contribute to longer-term solutions. We must remember, however, that there is no excuse for not doing all we can to conserve energy and to make better use of the energy resources we now have. Developing and sticking to a comprehensive energy policy is the first step in resolving our energy problems.
The Obama/Biden energy plan described in campaign material released in 2008 identified a long list of short-, medium-, and long-term energy and environment-related objectives and identified high-minded-sounding programs that the new administration would work to implement. Believing that all of these can be accomplished in the time periods suggested requires a big leap of faith. Early progress suggests that many of the energy goals and objectives may have to be shelved while the administrations attention remains focused on economic issues. A review of some prior energy policy initiatives is included in the next chapter in order to emphasize the difficulties that must be expected and overcome in forming an energy policy.
