Benjamin H. Deitchman - Climate and Clean Energy Policy: State Institutions and Economic Implications

Benjamin Deitchman wrote this book while working as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Public Policy in the Saunders College of Business at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He currently works for the Georgia Public Service Commission in Atlanta, Georgia.

1Green vs. Green

The Political, Legal, and Administrative Pitfalls Facing Green Energy Production

Ryan M. Yonk, Randy T. Simmons, and Brian C. Steed

2The Lilliputians of Environmental Regulation

The Perspective of State Regulators

Michelle C. Pautz and Sara R. Rinfret

3Globalization, Political Institutions and the Environment in Developing Countries

Gabriele Spilker

4Comparative Perspectives on Environmental Policies and Issues

Edited by Robert Dibie

5Framing Environmental Disaster

Environmental Advocacy and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Melissa K. Merry

6National Climate Policy

A Multi-field Approach

Elin Lerum Boasson

7Climate and Clean Energy Policy

State Institutions and Economic Implications

Benjamin H. Deitchman

Benjamin H. Deitchman

First published 2017

by Routledge

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and by Routledge

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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2017 Taylor & Francis

The right of Benjamin H. Deitchman to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

A catalog record for this book has been requested

ISBN: 978-1-138-18584-5 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-315-64420-2 (ebk)

Typeset in Times New Roman

by Apex CoVantage, LLC

I owe a debt of gratitude exceeding my share of the national debt to the below individuals and organizations for their assistance in the completion of this challenging but joyous project. The list is incomplete, but thank you to everyone for the help at this complex time in my life.

And a special thank you to you, dear reader, for your interest and participation in a vitally important area of public policy research and analysis.

Climate, energy, and government influence every aspect of modern life. We have collectively harnessed power and reshaped our planet. In the future, however, our climate, energy, and government will change. International agreements and individual actions will impact those changes. While state governments may be the middlemen of the federalist system, it is these institutions that may play a criticalif not determinantrole in the success or failure of a governance system that deploys a cleaner, greener energy portfolio to protect the future of the climate. Understanding the politics and economics of the policy tools available to states in this domain is indispensable for understanding the challenges and opportunities ahead.

The politics and economics of climate change and clean energy governance are at a crossroads. The scientific consensus around the dangers of the emissions greenhouse gases into the atmosphere continues to solidify as the planet reacts to impacts of industrialization. The politics, however, are sharply divided. From denial of the impacts of climate change to utilitarian arguments that the cost of policy actions outweighs the benefit, there are organized interests opposed to regulations and other free market interventions in this domain. From an economic perspective, the social, financial, and environmental costs of climate change may justify the research, demonstration, and deployment of advanced clean energy technologies that reduce fossil fuel consumption and grow the usage of other resources. Beyond just climate change, the economic development opportunities of these products and services can support both new and old industries and maintain a secure supply to run the engines of the postindustrial economy. Although there are still technical problems to solve in the creation of a low carbon future, the political and economic dynamics represent a vexing challenge to exploit these potential opportunities.