America's Domestic Energy Policy - History and Approaches to Reform

According to Robert Bradley, "Energy is the master resource. Without it, other resources could not be produced or consumed." Bradley uses this piece to discuss government intervention in energy production while encouraging free market solutions to energy policy. He concludes by declaring the following:

"In the U.S. energy sector, market reliance has produced economic coordination,...

"Our nation needs to enhance energy security and environmental security. With strong leadership, the United States can adopt policies that accomplish both goals.

Since the 1973–74 energy crisis, the United States has taken many steps to improve energy security. Technological progress, governmental policies, and economic incentives have together greatly constrained growth in oil use,...

"A federal appeals court rules that Vice President Cheney does not have to disclose who advised him as he created the Bush administration's energy policy. Journalists and interest groups had sued to find out which energy industry executives had been involved. Lawyer Shannen Coffin, who argued Cheney's case in district court, discusses the decision."

"Most of the energy consumed in America today is produced from the combustion of fossil fuels, primarily oil, coal, and natural gas. ...

In a free market, cost dictates energy choices. Fossil fuels, for example, are economically attractive for many applications because the energy available from fossil fuels is highly concentrated, easily transportable, and cheaply extracted. Renewable...

"The Obama Administration has been implementing an anti-energy agenda since coming to Washington. From day one, Obama and his 'dream 'green' team' have worked to increase the cost of traditional energy to reduce usage and try to make uneconomic consumer-rejected energy (wind, solar, ethanol, electric vehicles) more economic.

The effects of these policies are now playing out in front of...

"During a recent speech at Cleveland State University focused on small business in Ohio, President Obama described a goal of 'knocking down barriers that stand in the way of your growth.' Unfortunately, his EPA couldn’t be more in the dark about how to translate that message into practice — with the agency poised to adopt more than 30 new, major regulations and over 170 major policy rules in...

The lyrics to Woody Guthrie’s song “Grand Coulee Dam,” an example of a flourishing sub-genre of folk music that has addressed United States energy polices since the late 1920s.

"Mr. Obama, speaking at Georgetown University, set out a multi-pronged approach to reaching that goal: finding and producing more oil in the United States, boosting fuel efficiency, and turning to cleaner alternative fuels. And while he is not as open to domestic oil drilling as some Republicans would like, he did try to reposition himself as a drilling-friendly president, even as he pushed...

This piece describes how San Francisco's energy-saving, low-flush toilets actually created extra costs and unforeseen problems. Loris also touches on the ill-effects of several other energy efficient products and concludes by recommending that governmental subsidies are unnecessary in promoting these types of consumer goods.

According to Robert Michaels, "Natural gas is the commercial name for methane, a hydrocarbon produced by the same geological processes that produce oil. Relatively abundant in North America, its production and combustion have fewer adverse environmental effects than those of coal or oil." Michaels goes on to trace the history of Natural Gas usage in the U.S. from its earliest subjection to...

"Obama might have had at least a plausible case against the Keystone XL Pipeline if it had been the first one to cross from Canada into the United States. Whether you agreed with the president or not, he credibly could have argued that protecting America’s pristine habitat is so important that we should not lay a pipeline to carry 1.1 million barrels per day of friendly oil across America’s...

"Like most presidents since the 1973 oil crisis, Mr. Obama may be stymied on the grand issues of energy security, let alone preventing further climate change caused by fossil fuels. Making peace with Republicans on energy policy may not be possible. But at the very least the president has made a savvy move to position himself as an energy activist. He’s also staked out a position that can...

"When oil prices hit record levels, many people look for a scapegoat, and hugely profitable oil companies are an easy target. Even so, the typical political 'solutions' overlook the crucial role that market prices play in resource allocation, both among competing uses in different areas of the world today and among competing uses in different time periods (i.e. today versus the future)....

"One of the most fundamental requirements of a capitalist economic system—and one of the most misunderstood concepts—is a strong system of property rights. For decades social critics in the United States and throughout the Western world have complained that 'property' rights too often take precedence over 'human' rights, with the result that people are treated unequally and have unequal...

"Elites in oil rich countries are investing heavily in renewable energy forms in part because selling oil to addicts like Americans makes them a lot more money than selling that same oil to their own citizens.

Take Saudi Arabia, for example. The Saudi government recently announced a $100 billion investment in nuclear and renewable energy -- with the stated goal of increasing the amount...

"Legislation authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) that would put California in the national forefront in its commitment to renewable energy is headed to Governor Jerry Brown. Senate Bill 2X would require private and public utilities to obtain 33% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020, raising the target from the current 20%, while providing the flexibility...

"The future of climate change policy may be decided in a federal courtroom rather than on Capitol Hill. In recent years, state attorneys general and environmentalist groups have brought lawsuits seeking to force action on the issue of climate change under a range of statutes and legal theories. One case, Massachusetts v. EPA, was argued before the Supreme Court in November 2006. More are on...

"At the behest of Congress, the Department of Energy (DOE) has 'invested' several years and considerable tax dollars in devising restrictions on the amount of electricity it takes to run virtually every household appliance. Alas, a regulator’s work is never done. Having assumed control over the energy we use to cook, clean, light, heat, and cool every room in our...

"The United States has lacked a coherent, serious energy policy for decades. Questions regarding whether to emphasize increased oil production or conservation remain largely unsettled, and the misguided notion of a quick and relatively painless energy revolution has derailed discussion of the difficult tradeoffs that must be considered. Policymakers should remember that energy transitions take...

Arguing that U.S. reliance on traditional energy sources severely effect the health and lifespans of U.S. citizens, Michael Greenstone and Adam Looney suggest that "[w]e need a paradigm shift in our domestic energy strategy. The so-called 'social costs' of energy sources resulting from harmful emissions or foreign policy decisions, for example, must be priced so that businesses and consumers...

"In 1974 the general public got a graphic illustration of the 'tragedy of the commons' in satellite photos of the earth. Pictures of northern Africa showed an irregular dark patch 390 square miles in area. Ground-level investigation revealed a fenced area inside of which there was plenty of grass. Outside, the ground cover had been devastated.

The explanation was simple. The fenced area...

"Americans are growing increasingly concerned about energy. Their demand for energy is increasing faster than secure supplies. Much of the world's sup­ply of oil is delivered in a restrictive market dominated by unstable or hostile nations, some of which are using energy as a tool to frustrate U.S. national secu­rity and foreign policy objectives.

Meanwhile, many Americans harbor...

"In its closing months, the Bush administration has issued at least a dozen new important regulations and notices on energy and environmental issues, hitting upon everything from power plant emissions to safeguards for endangered species. In some cases, the new rules, which are part of the administration's final effort to shape a lasting domestic legacy, merely tweak existing laws. In other...

Tyler Cowen compares the importance of these two headlines: "US Solar Power Nears Competing on Price" and "Oil Leaps as OPEC descends into Acrimony."

This table shows the rapid increase in coal production in the United States during the 19th century.

"The chart above uses data compiled from various sources to compare the deaths per terawatt of energy produced. Deaths resulting from the production of nuclear power are over 4000 times less than the rate of death resulting from the production of energy from coal."

"As presented above, this analysis estimates the total economic effects associated with stopping deepwater drilling. Using the BEA’s final-demand employment multipliers (denominated in job-years per $1 million change in final demand) in Table A2 and the estimated production loss in Table 1 yields the expected losses in employment in Table 4. The decrease in employment is estimated to be 8,169...

"The broadest measure of the incremental effect of the moratorium is the effect on total economic output. As discussed earlier, GDP and GSP represent the two main measures of output. The BEA’s final demand output multipliers can be used to perform a RIMS II analyses. The multipliers are applied to the production estimates in Table 2 to determine the expected total decrease in output as a...

"The economic contributions of the coal industry (NAICS 2121) on the West Virginia economy are significant. For 2008, the economic impact of the coal industry was $19.78 billion of business volume (Table 7). This economic activity generated $2.8 billion in employee compensation and accounted for 46,000 jobs within the state. Total value added generated by the coal industry was $5.93 billion...

"On last Sunday’s Meet the Press, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) cited America’s need to get off of foreign oil as a strong reason for pursuing nuclear power.

Setting aside the misguided goal of so-called energy independence, Schumer is still wrong. Oil is primarily used in vehicles and in industrial production. Nuclear power is primarily used for electricity.

As the chart below...

"Total Federal energy-specific subsidies and support to all forms of energy are estimated at $16.6 billion for fiscal year (FY) 2007 (Table ES1). Total energy subsidies have more than doubled in real terms (2007 dollars), increasing from an estimated $8.2 billion in FY 1999. Tax expenditures have more than tripled since 1999, rising from $3.2 billion that year to more than $10.4 billion in...

"Approvals [are] taking longer. Exploration and development plan approvals are down by more than 85 percent from previous levels; approvals of drill permits covered by those exploration and development plans show a decline from previous levels of nearly 65 percent (see Figure ES-2)."

"Alaska Quick Facts

- Excluding Federal offshore production, Alaska ranks second in the Nation in crude oil production.

- Prudhoe Bay on Alaska’s North Slope is the highest yielding oil field in the United States, producing approximately 264,000 barrels per day.

- The Trans-Alaska Pipeline transports crude oil from the frozen North Slope to the warm-water Port of Valdez,...

"Approximately 88% of all the petroleum exported from the Persian Gulf transits through the Strait of Hormuz, bound to Asia, Western Europe and the United States. Its importance in global oil circulation cannot be overstated. For instance, 75% of all Japanese oil imports transit through the strait. There are thus very few alternative outlets for oil exports from the Persian Gulf if the traffic...

"As demonstrated in Figure 1, Pennsylvania anthracite dominated urban markets by the late 1830s. By 1840, annual production had topped one million tons, or about ten times the annual production of the Richmond bituminous field."

"Gasoline usage history shows a small rise in '07, then a plunge in '08. Usage level for the next two years was flat, followed by a huge plunge now."

"In October, the Institute for Energy Research reported that, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) modeling and announced power plant closures, EPA’s upcoming regulations will shutter almost 28 GW of electricity generation capacity. ... At the time, we warned that 'this number will grow as plant operators continue to release their EPA compliance plans.' Now, a mere two...

"William Baumol et al. (1989) calculated the price of fifteen resources for the period 1900–1986 and found that until the 'energy crises' of the 1970s, there was a negligible upward trend in the real (inflation-adjusted) prices of coal and natural gas and virtually no increase in the price of crude oil. Petroleum prices catapulted in the 1970s and 1980s under the influence of the Organization...

"Between 2006 and 2010, the biomass share of renewable consumption increased from 49 to 53 percent, wind increased from 4 to 11 percent, and conventional hydroelectric decreased from 43 to 31 percent (Figure 2). Geothermal’s share stayed steady at 3 percent of renewable energy, but consumption rose from 181 trillion Btu to 212 trillion Btu. Likewise, solar’s share remained steady at 1 percent...

"The Strait of Hormuz forms a strategic link between the oil fields of the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean (figure 4). It is 48 to 80 km wide, but navigation is limited to two 3-km-wide channels, each used exclusively for inbound or outbound traffic. Circulation in and out of the Persian Gulf is therefore extremely confined, because the sizable number of tankers makes...

"By analyzing the total economic harm associated with the moratorium, Dr. Mason finds that there would be broad economic losses within the Gulf region and throughout the nation as a whole. He uses the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s RIMS II 'input-output' analysis to measure the economic effects associated with a potential production stoppage. Table 1 summarizes the results. Dr. Mason concludes...

"Like average weekly wages, total coal mining wages per employee has been on the rise since 2001 (Figure 14). Wages per employee for the industry has had an average annual increase of 3.9 percent. In comparison to other major industries within the state, wages per employee in the coal mining industry were significantly higher. In 2007, wages per employee were 49 percent higher than in the...

"Between 2009 and 2010, renewable energy consumption rose by 6 percent to over 8 quadrillion Btu (Figure 1). At the same time, total U.S. energy consumption rebounded by 4 percent to nearly 98 quadrillion Btu, due in some measure to economic recovery (Table 1). Renewable energy’s share of U.S. consumption in 2010 was up slightly to a little more than 8 percent. The main drivers behind the...

An overview of America’s energy consumption, production, imports, and exports from 1950 through 2007.

A chart depicting America's petroleum supply compared to its petroleum consumption, starting at 1960 and projecting through 2030.

"The slower pace of approvals and regulatory uncertainty makes the Gulf of Mexico less attractive when competing with other investment opportunities and as a result assets and capital will move to other prospective areas of the world. A sustained slowdown in the Gulf of Mexico is already having a negative impact on job creation and domestic oil production, and will do so even more in 2012....

A chart depicting world oil supply disruptions from the nationalization of the Iranian oilfields in 1951 through Iraqi's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

"Large-scale federal intervention into America’s energy markets began in the 1930s and continued through the 1970s. A series of major laws and executive actions sought to control energy prices, regulate electric and gas utilities, and limit imports. Competition was stifled and domestic investment was suppressed.

By the 1970s, the Middle East oil embargoes and other upheavals began...

"Over the past few years, the U.S. Department of Defense has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the development, testing, and certification of alternative fuels that can substitute for petroleum-derived fuels used by the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, and Air Force in their tactical weapon systems. This monograph summarizes research directed at understanding key policy, management, and...

"In January 1935, Joseph F. Guffey, freshman senator from Pennsylvania, introduced a bill designed to bring some order to the chaos which was the bituminous coal industry. The mining concern as a whole was beset by a multitude of problems: intersectional disputes over pricing, heightened by the wage-scale differential between North and South; severe union-management strife in virtually all...

"This study sidesteps the nettlesome question of whether market failures justify public expenditures to promote energy efficiency and instead asks: To what extent do utility-sponsored DSM programs lead to greater energy efficiency? This is an important question for several reasons. First, the public investment in utility-sponsored DSM is large. Between 1989 and 1999, ratepayer-funded...

"The history of Daylight Saving Time (DST) has been long and controversial. Throughout its implementation during World Wars I and II, the oil embargo of the 1970s, consistent practice today, and recent extensions, the primary rationale for DST has always been to promote energy conservation. Nevertheless, there is surprisingly little evidence that DST actually saves energy. This paper takes...

"There’s broad agreement that America should reduce its dependence on imported oil, but far less agreement on why. Are we combating global warming, or are we distancing ourselves from hostile and unstable regimes? The popular reply is that it hardly matters — we need to do both and the goals reinforce each other. But these two national energy goals are not only different but frequently in...

"Since the 1970s, energy tax policy in the United States has attempted to achieve two broad objectives. First, policymakers have sought to reduce oil import dependence and enhance national security through a variety of domestic energy investment and production tax subsidies. Second, environmental concerns have led to subsidization of a variety of renewable and energy efficiency technologies...

"The current energy and climate debate would benefit from a broader understanding of the
explicit and hidden government subsidies that affect energy use throughout the economy. In an effort to examine this issue, the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) conducted a review of fossil fuel and renewable energy subsidies for Fiscal Years 2002-2008."

"Many policymakers and pundits have made the case that the United States should become 'energy independent.' One economic interpretation of energy independence is that increased domestic energy production leads to greater risk sharing in the presence of imperfect capital markets. The wealth effects of energy production increase during peak oil shocks that help energy-producing states hedge...

"The Federal government provides a range of subsidies, tax incentives, and regulatory mandates to promote the use of ethanol and other renewable fuels into the national gasoline pool. ... Until recently, ethanol use was limited by law to a maximum of 10% of the gasoline pool, or as a specialty fuel at high levels of concentration (a 70-85% blend called E85) for use only in 'flex-fuel' vehicles...

"Energy research and development (R&D) intended to advance technology played an important role in the successful outcome of World War II. In the post-war era, the federal government conducted R&D on fossil fuel and nuclear energy sources to support peacetime economic growth. The energy crises of the 1970s spurred the government to broaden the focus to include renewable energy and...

"The Reagan Administration is proceeding with its plan to dismantle much of the Federal solar energy program as it existed under the Carter Administration. The objective is to reduce Federal expenditures and bureaucracy and to limit Federal involvement in program areas where the private sector can take over. The Administration contends that the market will be, and should be, the final arbiter...

"Many politicians and pundits are panicked over the existing state of the oil and gasoline markets. Disregarding past experience, these parties advocate massive intervention in those markets, which would only serve to repeat and extend previous errors. These interventionists propose solutions to nonexistent problems.

This Policy Analysis reviews the academic literature relevant to these...

"In the wake of the recent Deepwater Horizon oil rig spill, federal lawmakers have struggled both to address the causes of this rare and disastrous event and to enact policies to guide the environmental and economic recovery of the Gulf region. As part of its effort to respond to the crisis, the Obama administration issued a moratorium on offshore deepwater drilling (first enacted on May 30th...

"There is increasing concern in the U.S. Congress about long-term federal transportation funding. This paper is designed to assist policymakers in assessing whether an oil tax would be a useful option for funding future expenditures on U.S. transportation infrastructure. It assesses the costs and benefits of replacing current U.S. vehicular fuel taxes and other transportation taxes with a...

"The coal mining industry is subject to numerous regulations as a result of national and state public policy. While the size and growth of the coal mining industry in West Virginia depends heavily on the strength of the national and global economies, both current and proposed public policies also have the potential to dramatically affect the future of the coal mining industry in the state (and...

"In October, the Institute for Energy Research reported that, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) modeling and announced power plant closures, EPA’s upcoming regulations will shutter almost 28 GW of electricity generation capacity. At the time, we warned that 'this number will grow as plant operators continue to release their EPA compliance plans.' Now, a mere two months...

"Robert Laughlin of Stanford University and the 1998 co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about energy use and the future of the earth's climate. Drawing on his forthcoming book on energy, Laughlin predicts that we will continue to use cars and planes and electricity long after coal and petroleum are exhausted and speculates as to how that might play...

Patrick J. Michaels discusses what Gordon Liddy calls "bogus... climate change alarmism" on Radio America's "The G. Gordon Liddy Show."

John Stewart addresses the history of the United States' attempts to achieve energy independence.

"In 2007, the Supreme Court declared that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are 'pollutants' under the Clean Air Act. Since then, the Environmental Protection Agency has announced its intention to adopt far-reaching greenhouse gas regulations. At the same time, Congress is considering federal climate legislation. What will these new regulatory initiatives mean? What will they cost? And...

"$18.6 billion worth of direct financial subsidies were provided by the federal government to energy companies and organizations in 2009 – with the promise that such support would reduce America’s reliance on foreign energy sources, push technological breakthroughs, and ensure that Americans had access to reliable and affordable energy sources. Unfortunately, this approach has failed miserably...

"Families are making big sacrifices just to keep their cars running. They're saying no to music lessons, braces, computers, and visits to relatives. Fortunately, there's a solution."

President Barack Obama delivered an address on energy security at Georgetown University on March 30, 2011 outlining his administration's energy policy and goals.

"President Obama spoke from the White House's South Lawn this morning, urging Congress to end the $4 billion in tax subsidies oil and natural gas companies receive from the government every year. Obama noted that 'Exxon pocketed nearly $4.7 million every hour' last year, and simply doesn't need taxpayer subsidies on top of companies' massive profits.

The president added, 'It's like...

Economist Veronique de Rugy discusses the real cost and risk of nuclear power on Bloomberg Television's "Street Smart."

In a short period of time, Franklin Roosevelt's energy polices shifted from proliferation toward conservation.

"Our resources of coal, oil, gas and water power provide the energy to turn the wheels of industry, to service our homes, and to aid in national defense. We now use more energy per capita than any other people, and our scientists tell us there will be a progressively increasing...

"At home and abroad, America is in a time of transition. Old problems are yielding to new initiatives, but in their place new problems are arising which once again challenge our ingenuity and require vigorous action. Nowhere is this more clearly true than in the field of energy.

As America has become more prosperous and more heavily industrialized, our demands for energy have soared....

"We desire to emphasize that the responsibility for devising means to ensure that the new discoveries shall be used for the benefit of mankind, instead of as a means of destruction, rests not on our nations alone, but upon the whole civilized world. Nevertheless, the progress that we have made in the development and use of atomic energy demands that we take an initiative in the matter, and we...

This document is described as "An Act To provide for the designation and conservation of certain public lands in the State of Alaska, including the designation of units of the National Park, National Wildlife Refuge, National Forest, National Wild and Scenic Rivers, and National Wilderness Preservation Systems, and for other purposes." Sections 1008 and 1009 of this law specifically relate to...

Oral arguments before the Supreme Court of the United States in the matter of American Electric Power Co., Inc. v. Connecticut, a case addressing states' and private parties' right to sue utilities for contributing to global warming.

"Canada is on the edge of an historic choice: to diversify our energy markets away from our traditional trading partner in the United States or to continue with the status quo.

Virtually all our energy exports go to the US. As a country, we must seek new markets for our products and services and the booming Asia-Pacific economies have shown great interest in our oil, gas, metals and...

"Research and experimentation in the field of nuclear chain reaction have attained the stage at which the release of atomic energy on a large scale is practical. The significance of, the atomic bomb for military purposes is evident. The effect of the use of atomic energy for civilian purposes upon the social, economic, and political structures of today cannot now be determined. It is a field...

The issue of coal-derived energy was one of the many topics discussed by Coolidge in his first annual message. Coolidge declared that "[t]he supply of coal must be constant. In case of its prospective interruption, the President should have authority to appoint a commission empowered to deal with whatever emergency situation might arise, to aid conciliation and voluntary arbitration, to adjust...

A case between Vice President Dick Cheney and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that came to an appeal after a lower court ordered Cheney to disclose records that would show how his National Energy Policy Development Group developed its policy recommendations.

"Fuel-efficient vehicles and energy-efficient appliances and products provide many benefits such as better gas mileage -meaning lower gasoline costs, fewer emissions, lower energy bills, increased indoor comfort, and reduced air pollution.

In addition to federal tax incentives, some consumers will also be eligible for utility or state rebates, as well as state tax incentives for energy-...

"The impending crisis of energy shortages has brought about an unprecedented quick action by the Congress in establishing the new Department of Energy.

This in some ways has been controversial legislation because many agencies of Government are now being brought together under one roof, about 50 different agencies. And in the future, the head of this Department will be a person working...

Remarks by President Eisenhower after a tour of a nuclear power plant.

Promoting the technology, Eisenhower said, "I am very hopeful that more than governments will get interested in this project. I hope that private business and professional men throughout the world will take an interest, and provide an incentive in finding new ways that this new science can be used.

In the...

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, "The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005) established a number of energy management goals for Federal facilities and fleets. It also amended portions of the National Energy Conservation Policy Act (NECPA)."

"An Act To reorganize and consolidate certain functions of the Federal Government in a new Energy Research and Development Administration and in a new Nuclear Regulatory Commission in order to promote more efficient management of such functions."

"Welcome to Part II of our hearings on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Mining Policies and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Assault on Appalachian Jobs.

The Appalachian region is being subjected to un-equal treatment under the law by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the arbitrary reason that it produces a domestic source of energy.

The United States...

According to PSU, this act marked the "[f]irst time an Energy Title was included in the Farm Bill - including $405 million in mandatory funding over the following 5 years for the procurement of biobased products, grants and loans for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, research and development and the...

"This is a rate case involving numerous questions which arise out of the Federal Power Commission's regulation, under §§ 5 (a) and 13 of the Natural Gas Act of 1938, 52 Stat. 821, 15 U.S.C. § 717, of the rates to be charged for the sale of natural gas by cross-petitioners, Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America and Texoma Natural Gas Company."

"To provide for the continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2012, and for other purposes."

A campaign speech made by Franklin D. Roosevelt just before his landslide victory in 1932.

He said, in part, "Electricity is no longer a luxury. It is a definite necessity. It lights our homes, our places of work and our streets. It turns the wheels of most of our transportation and our factories. In our homes it serves not only for light, but it can become the willing servant of the...

"We've already made progress toward reducing that energy vulnerability. We've diversified our suppliers so that we are not unduly reliant on any single source. What's more, through the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, we've vastly improved our ability to respond flexibly to supply interruptions. And we have already begun moving on the path toward improved energy efficiency.

But we are, I...

"The bill recognizes that America is the world's leader in technology and that we've got to use technology to be the world's leader in energy conservation. The bill includes incentives for consumers to be better conservers of energy. If you own a home, you can receive new tax credits to install energy-efficient windows and appliances. If you're in the market for a car, this bill will help you...

A nationally broadcast radio and television address where Gerald Ford talked with American's about, "putting our domestic house in order."

"Americans are no longer in full control of their own national destiny when that destiny depends on uncertain foreign fuel at high prices fixed by others. Higher energy costs compound both inflation and recession, and dependence on others for future...

Harry Truman's address to Congress, just after the end of World War II.

His remarks began, "Almost two months have passed since the atomic bomb was used against Japan. That bomb did not win the war, but it certainly shortened the war. We know that it saved the lives of untold thousands of American and Allied soldiers who would otherwise have been killed in battle.

The discovery...

A telegram from Herbert Hoover protesting the distribution of pamphlets to oil workers that alleged Hoover had personal connections to foreign oil. "I HAVE your telegram stating that Democratic agents despite all proof to the contrary are still circulating misleading statements through the oil fields that I have been opposed to relief to the oil industry because of my supposed interest in...

A letter from John Kennedy to the director of his campaign leader in Texas, explaining his position on oil depletion allowances. "I have consistently, throughout this campaign, made clear my recognition of the value and importance of the oil-depletion allowance. I realize its purpose and value are to provide a rate of exploration, development, and production adequate to our national security...

"For the first time, it will allow private ownership in the United States of special nuclear materials--the materials used as fuels for nuclear plants.

We have made the most substantial progress in this Nation since 1954 in developing peaceful application of atomic energy particularly in the generation of electric power with nuclear reactors.

The new law recognizes that great...

“This publication is the National Energy Conservation Policy Act (P.L. 95-619). The purposes of this act are to provide for the regulation of interstate commerce, to reduce the growth in demand for energy in the United States, and to conserve nonrenewable energy resources produced in this nation and elsewhere, without inhibiting beneficial economic growth.”

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, "The Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 (NGPA) granted the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authority over intrastate as well as interstate natural gas production. The NGPA established price ceilings for wellhead...

According to Pennsylvania State University, this act "[p]romoted the development of ocean thermal energy conversion to minimize dependence on foreign oil, with NOAA having the authority to license OTEC facilities, but low fossil fuel prices resulted in no requests for license applications being filed."

"The Company here involved engages in the production, gathering, processing and sale of natural gas. It does not engage in the interstate transmission of gas from the producing fields to consumer markets and is not affiliated with any company that does so, but it sells natural gas to five interstate pipeline companies which transport and resell the gas to consumers and local distributing...

"The Congress finds that the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare, the preservation of national security, and the proper exercise of congressional authority under the Constitution to regulate interstate commerce require—

(1) a program providing for increased conservation of electric energy, increased efficiency in the use of facilities and resources by electric utilities...

A second radio address where Richard Nixon encourages Americans to make personal energy sacrifices. "In order to minimize disruptions in our economy, I asked on November 7 that all Americans adopt certain energy conservation measures to help meet the challenge of reduced energy supplies. These steps include reductions in home heating, reductions in driving speeds, elimination of unnecessary...

Remarks wherein Richard Nixon addressed the growing energy crisis, saying, "We have heard a lot about a crisis. I do not use that term, because we do not face a crisis in that sense of the word. I would simply say that in the short term we face a problem, a problem with regard to energy--heating, for example, this winter, just as we thought we faced a problem of gasoline this summer, and the...

"President Nixon talks about several issues, including the energy situation and the Watergate investigation that recently came to the attention of the American public. Nixon calmly rejects the notions that he will be impeached or resign. He attempts to keep the conference focused on rising oil prices and shortages and indications that the country might spiral into a recession."

"The Rural Electrification Act of 1936 was intended to light the nation by supplying the infrastructure and funding to electrify isolated U.S. farms." The Act was amended in 2000 and can be found here.

"The 19 1/2% tax imposed by § 3(b) of the Bituminous Coal Conservation Act (1937) on sales of such coal by producers, 'which would be subject to the application of the conditions and provisions of the code provided for in § 4, or of the provisions of § 4A,' applies to producers who are not members of the code, although under § 4, the provisions of the code are for code members only. …

...

"Twenty one of the twenty-five states with the lowest electricity costs rely upon coal for forty percent or more of their electricity supply. It is no coincidence that these states also have the highest concentration of manufacturing. The deliberate and disruptive policies that have slowed and stopped coal mines from receiving permits to open or expand have consequences that reverberate...

"The EPA’s exercise of its putative 'veto' power to unilaterally revoke the § 404 'dredge and fill' permit issued to Mingo Logan Coal Company, for surface mining in Appalachia, three years after the fact, and after more than ten years of exhaustive environmental review, and without any change in circumstance or law, is emblematic of a growing trend among federal agencies to change the law for...

"This Act is the fundamental U.S. law on both the civilian and the military uses of nuclear materials. On the civilian side, it provides for both the development and the regulation of the uses of nuclear materials and facilities in the United States, declaring the policy that 'the development, use, and control of atomic energy shall be directed so as to promote...

"By using water for power generation, people have worked with nature to achieve a better lifestyle. The mechanical power of falling water is an age-old tool. It was used by the Greeks to turn water wheels for grinding wheat into flour, more than 2,000 years ago. In the 1700's mechanical hydropower was used extensively for milling and pumping. By the early 1900's, hydroelectric power accounted...

This law describes the regulations, importations, and other rules relating to the consumption and sale of natural gas in the United States.

"Norris Dam, the first-born child of the Tennessee Valley Authority, was attended by praises and curses as it came into the world.

The drama of the development of the Norris Dam project inspired films, books, theatrical productions, and songs. The songs excited, especially, a small, but increasing cadre of scholars and enthusiasts who loved American folk songs. To a 1930s folklorist,...

"On September 30, 1882, the world's first hydroelectric power plant began operation on the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin."

Part 1 of the Energy Security Act of 1980, Pennsylvania State University declares that this act "[e]stablished the Synthetic Fuels Corporation (which only existed until 1985) for the purpose of partnering with industry for the creation of a market for domestically-produced synthetic liquid fuels; moved research and...

Pennsylvania State University describes this document as the third part of the Energy Security Act of 1980. This law "[r]equires the submission (by the President to Congress) of energy targets for net imports, domestic production, and end-use consumption of energy for 1985, 1990, 1995, and 2000."

Pennsylvania State University describes this document as "Title V of the 1980 Energy Security Act." It "encouraged energy conservation and the use of solar energy, reduc[ed] dependence on foreign energy supplies; established the Solar Energy and Energy Conservation Bank (repealed in 1992)."

"There is hereby established a comprehensive ten-year program to carry out the provisions of this subtitle; and to implement this program there shall be formed an Acid Precipitation Task Force … of which the Secretary of Agriculture, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall be joint chairmen."...

In the 2007 State of the Union address, President George Bush asked Congress and America to "join him in pursuing the goal of reducing U.S. gasoline usage by 20 percent in the next ten years - twenty in ten."

This treaty stipulated that the U.S. would borrow $24 million to Egypt for a specific energy project. According to the agreement, "The Project shall consist of the construction of a National Energy Control Center which will monitor, supervise and control the entire interconnected national electric power grid throughout Egypt. The purpose of the Project is to provide improved reliability and...

"Learn about how hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetic technologies work and the latest in research and development in these fields."

"Kunich, who has written previously on contemporary extinction and the lack of an adequate legal response, presents another demanding academic environmental title, one that combines philosophy with, of all things, gambling. Largely free of politics, except for a healthy discussion of the ramifications of 'Climategate,' he asks what we are willing to wager on the earth’s survival. This leads to...

"Electric cars are real—see the Tesla Roadster, Chevy Volt, and hybrids like the Nissan Leaf and Toyota Prius—but the drive to create safe, lightweight, and long-lasting batteries to power them has been anything but smooth. Faced with political, technological, and management obstacles, battery technology still lags. In the mid-1800s Fletcher says, clean, cheap lead...

"The Concise Encyclopedia of the History of Energy draws together in a single volume a comprehensive account of the field from the prestigious and award-winning Encyclopedia of Energy (2004). This volume covers all aspects of energy history with authoritative articles authoritatively contributed and edited by an interdisciplinary team of experts. Extensively revised since the original...

"The National Academy Press, based in Washington, D.C., presents the full text of a book entitled 'Effectiveness and Impact of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards,' authored by the Transportation Research Board and originally published in 2001. The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program requires automobile manufacturers to increase the sales-weighted average fuel economy of...

"In an effort to provide greater awareness of the necessary policy decisions facing our elected and appointed officials, Energy Policy in the U.S.: Politics, Challenges, and Prospects for Change presents an overview of important energy policies and the policy process in the United States, including their history, goals, methods of action, and consequences.

In the first half of the book...

"The promise and peril of nuclear power have been a preoccupation of the modern age. Though the nuclear industry has witnessed periods of expansion and retrenchment, there are now more than one hundred nuclear reactors providing America with almost a quarter of its electrical power.

Robert Duffy now examines the politics of...

"M. A. Adelman is one of the preeminent authorities on the economics of mineral resources. This book brings together his work, written over the past thirty years, on mineral depletion and the nature of monopoly in world oil. Organized into three groups, the twenty-seven papers cover theory and measurement of mineral scarcity and depletion, analysis of the OPEC...

"In a year that saw both the formal end to the Vietnam War and the unfolding of the Watergate scandal, the oil crisis of 1973-1974 dealt a critical blow to the American psyche. After decades of wealth and prosperity, stagflation and gas shortages hit Americans in their own pockets. They faced hard questions about a national culture of consumption that had ravaged...

"The American Petroleum Institute (API) is the only national trade association that represents all aspects of America’s oil and natural gas industry. Our more than 400 corporate members, from the largest major oil company to the smallest of independents, come from all segments of the industry. They are producers, refiners, suppliers, pipeline operators and marine transporters, as well as...

"The Energy Policy Research Foundation, Inc. (EPRINC), formerly PIRINC was incorporated in 1944 and is a not-for-profit organization that studies energy economics with special emphasis on oil. It is known internationally for providing objective analysis of energy issues."

"The Institute for Energy Research (IER) is a not-for-profit organization that conducts intensive research and analysis on the functions, operations, and government regulation of global energy markets. IER maintains that freely-functioning energy markets provide the most efficient and effective solutions to today’s global energy and environmental challenges and, as such, are critical to the...

This site provides vasts lists of energy treaty agreements. Particularly applicable to the topic of American Domestic Energy policy is the page on U.S. treaties.

"The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the nation's primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development (R&D).

NREL's mission and strategy are focused on advancing the U.S. Department of Energy's and our nation's energy goals. The laboratory's scientists and researchers support critical market objectives to accelerate research from...

"Established in 1974, SEIA works to expand the use of solar technologies, strengthen research and development, remove market barriers, and improve education and outreach for solar."

"How are climate change, scarcer resources, population growth and other challenges reshaping society? From science to business to politics to living, our reporters track the high-stakes pursuit of a greener globe in a dialogue with experts and readers."

"The U.S. Department of the Interior protects America’s natural resources and heritage, honors our cultures and tribal communities, and supplies the energy to power our future."

"The President has taken unprecedented action to build the foundation for a clean energy economy, tackle the issue of climate change, and protect our environment. 'As we recover from this recession, the transition to clean energy has the potential to grow our economy and create millions of jobs - but only if we accelerate that transition. Only if we seize the moment.' - President Barack Obama...