Toward a New National Energy Policy: Assessing the Options
RFF Seminar
June 23, 2010

Seminar cosponsored by Resources for the Future and the National Energy Policy Institute

Among the many pressing issues facing Congress is the drive to create a new and comprehensive national energy policy, one that will make significant progress on addressing the twin challenges of energy security and climate change. In taking these on, however, policymakers face a bewildering array of possible policy levers, some that are substitutes for one another and others that could be complementary; some that more directly target oil security and others that focus on greenhouse gas emissions. As the dialogue continues to unfold on Capitol Hill, how should policymakers choose among these different options and potential combinations of options?

To help answer these questions, Resources for the Future (RFF) and the National Energy Policy Institute undertook a two-year program of research, aiming to inform this decisionmaking process by providing a rigorous, comprehensive, and consistent analysis of various major energy policy options. The study, entitled Toward a New National Energy Policy: Assessing the Options, focuses on several key metrics that chart the effectiveness of alternative policies – specifically, in reducing oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions – and assesses the economic costs they impose on society.

Key findings were presented by lead RFF researchers, as well as several of the experts who contributed analysis and technical input. Panelists examined how individual policies and combinations of policies compare to each other, highlighting under what circumstances policies may be complementary or redundant.

Audio