ENERGY EFFICIENCY AMERICA'S GREATEST ENERGY RESOURCE

摘要

Energy efficiency in the United States is once again making headlines on the front pages of the newspapers and in the evening news, by way of record oil prices topping US$100 per barrel, chilly winter temperatures, reports of accelerated melting of polar ice, and the recent passage of a major federal energy bill that will change the cars we drive and the light bulbs used in our homes. Energy efficiency has an important role in the emerging discussion of U.S. policies in response to climate change, and has been increasingly mentioned in the political exchanges of this election year. While energy efficiency has been a feature of the policy landscape for the past 30 years, it has received varying amounts of attention and resources depending on the ups and downs of gasoline and electricity prices; regional concerns about air quality and utility system reliability; "NIMBY' or Not In My Back Yard reactions to proposed new power plants, transmission lines, and other major energy facilities; and the undercurrent of unease about global oil security and our rising dependence on imported oil. Recently, both policy-makers and the public have begun to focus on the prospects and consequences of climate change, with important policy initiatives taking shape at both the state and regional levels, several bills being introduced in Congress, and more of the same likely as the post-Kyoto round of international negotiations get underway.