PrintEnergy Policy Acts
During the same periods of time when the EOs were being conceptualized and issued, Congress was busy developing pieces of legislation. Although there is no set interval for these actions, there have been some key events and conditions that led to the development of the legislation. Beginning with the 1978 act prompted by the severe Middle East oil crisis that resulted in long lines at the gas pumps, we see legislative actions attempting to solve a problem. We also see a pattern from the early acts to the later ones of first trying to address inherent flaws and weaknesses in our energy infrastructure, and then evolving into trying to further protect the consumer and incentivize more sustainable solutions such as renewable power and more fuel efficient and alternative fuel transportation.
Below are links to the key acts since 1975. For each, there is a summary of its key provisions and why they came to be. Also provided below are some useful links to read more about the legislation. If you are extra ambitious, links are also provided to the legislation itself. You do not have to read the acts themselves, but briefly scanning them will give you some good insight into how complex these pieces of legislation are. Also keep in mind that this Federal effort is superimposed on state level legislation and regulation. As the power sector became more deregulated at the Federal level, it forced the states to take on more responsibility, as we saw in the previous lesson.
Required Reading
Read the summaries below. In order to be able to follow along with the questions to guide your reading, you may wish to open some of the provided links.
Questions to guide your reading:
- Can you identify how the acts addressed security, accessibility, reliability, and sustainability?
- Do you note the increase in the role of energy sustainability in the later years (as demonstrated by increasing reference to renewables and efficiency)?
- In your opinion, which act is the “most important”?
Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975
The primary goals of EPCA are to increase energy production and supply, reduce energy demand, provide energy efficiency, and give the executive branch additional powers to respond to disruptions in energy supply.
Energy Conservation and Production Revenue Act of 1976
The Energy Conservation and Production Act of 1976 (P.L. 94–385) took the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 one step further by including incentives for conservation and renewable energy and providing loan guarantees for energy conservation in public and commercial buildings.
- H.R.6860 - 94th Congress (1975-1976): Energy Conservation and Conversion Act
- A good summary of the 1975 and 1976 actions are found on pages 4 and 5 of the FEA Report
1978-National Energy Act of 1978
The National Energy Act (NEA) of 1978 was passed by the U.S. Congress in response to the energy crisis of the 1970s. It was designed to resolve a disjointed national energy policy and empower the United States with greater control of its national energy destiny. The NEA and its progeny established energy efficiency programs, tax incentives, tax disincentives, energy conservation programs, alternative fuel programs, and regulatory and market-based initiatives. Results of the NEA have been mixed. Most of the market-based initiatives have been retained, but many of the regulatory initiatives have since been abandoned.
Energy Policy Act of 1992
The Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 1992 (Public Law 102-486(PDF)) aims to reduce U.S. dependence on petroleum and improve air quality by addressing all aspects of energy supply and demand, including alternative fuels, renewable energy, and energy efficiency. EPAct 1992 encourages the use of alternative fuels through both regulatory and voluntary activities and approaches the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) carries out. It requires federal, state, and alternative fuel provider fleets to acquire alternative fuel vehicles. EPAct 1992 also defines "alternative fuels" as: methanol, ethanol, and other alcohols; blends of 85% or more of alcohol with gasoline (E85); natural gas and liquid fuels domestically produced from natural gas; propane; hydrogen; electricity; biodiesel (B100); coal-derived liquid fuels; fuels, other than alcohol, derived from biological materials; and P-Series fuels, which were added to the definition in 1999. Under EPAct 1992, the US Department of Energy (DOE) has the authority to add more alternative fuels to the list of authorized alternative fuels if certain criteria are met. DOE's Clean Cities initiative was established in response to EPAct 1992 to implement voluntary alternative fuel vehicle deployment activities.
Energy Policy Act of 2005
This act was intended to further promote coal, oil, and gas development, but also provided for incentives such as tax credits for renewables. This act also had several provisions for clean fuels and alternative fuel vehicles. Another key component was a continuing effort to address the public utilities’ issues with power generation. This included provisions to fix problems caused by earlier legislation that deregulated parts of the power generation sector.
- Energy Policy Act of 2005
- Energy Policy Act of 2005 Fact Sheet
- Impacts of the Energy Policy Act of 2005
Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007
Signed on December 19, 2007, the act aims to increase U.S. energy security, develop renewable energy production, and improve vehicle fuel economy. Additionally, the act strived to increase the production of clean renewable fuels; protect consumers; increase the efficiency of products, buildings, and vehicles; promote research on and deploy greenhouse gas capture and storage options; improve the energy performance of the Federal Government. Regarding the Federal government performance, the act memorialized as law portions of Executive Order 13423.
- Energy Independence Security Act of 2007
- Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
- Summary of the Energy Independence and Security Act
Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015
Overall, this bill continues the pattern seen throughout the development of legislation of increasing renewables, providing for more energy security by promoting domestic oil, gas, and coal production, and ensuring more reliable and affordable energy. This bill amends the Energy Conservation and Production Act, the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 with respect to energy efficiency in buildings and appliances.
- Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Policy Modernization Act
- Alliance to Save Energy: The Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015
The Energy Act of 2020
The Energy Act modernizes and refocuses the Department of Energy’s research and development programs on the most pressing technology challenges — scaling up clean energy technologies like advanced nuclear, long-duration energy storage, carbon capture, and enhanced geothermal. Crucially, across all of these technologies, DOE is now empowered to launch the most aggressive commercial scale technology demonstration program in U.S. history. The bill sets up a moonshot of more than 20 full commercial scale demos by the mid-2020s.
Executive Order
- Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability (White House press release)
The Energy Provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which was signed into law in August 2022, will cut Americans’ energy costs, create good jobs and transform U.S. efforts to address the climate crisis. It is the largest single step that Congress has ever taken to address climate change. The IRA includes nearly $370 bilion in investments in disadvantaged communities, prioritizing projects that repurpose retired fossil fuel infrastructure and employ displaced workers, setting the U.S. on a course toward a fair, equitable and economic clean energy transition.