Conversations about energy law and policy are paramount, undergoing new scrutiny and characterizations. Energy Follies: Missteps, Fiascos, and Successes of America's Energy Policy explores how a century of energy policies, rather than solving our energy problems, often made them worse; how Congress and other federal agencies grappled with remedying seemingly myopic past decisions. Sam Kalen and Robert R. Nordhaus investigate how misguided or naïve energy policy decisions caused or contributed to past energy crises, and how it took years to unwind their effects. This work recounts the decades-long struggles to move to market supply and pricing policies for oil and natural gas in order to make competition work in the electric power industry and to tame emissions from the coal fleet left to us by the 1970s coal policies. These historic policies continue to present struggles, and this book reflects on how future challenges ought to learn from our past mistakes.

‘Robert R. Nordhaus and Sam Kalen provide insights into the making of some of America's most significant energy and environmental policies. Their extensive experience in crafting, implementing, and teaching these policies gives them unique credibility. They offer us solid recommendations as this generation engineers a vital energy transition to address the challenge of climate change. Climate policy stakeholders - journalists, academics, students, advocates and policy-makers - should read this book.'

Phil Sharp - Former Congressional Representative, Former President of Resources for the Future, and Fellow, Columbia University, New York

'… this book is an excellent resource, especially for courses in energy policy.'

T. Brennan Source: Choice