Developing A Sound Energy Policy

An energy policy is the set of decisions and directives made by a government concerning the way that energy will be produced, distributed and used. The elements of setting a sound energy policy include the need to provide enough energy to keep the state, local or national economy moving. The needs of the populace for energy must be balanced by any environmental damage by pollution, strip mining or waste production. A sound energy policy takes into consideration the battling demands of money, the environment and the safety and comfort of the people affected by it.

A Policy’s Parts

When developing a sound energy policy, there are many questions to consider. The needs and costs of energy production and consumption must be balanced in ways that will result in enforceable standards.

When writing an energy policy, the governmental heads are writing their country’s future. The sources of energy must be planned. How much energy self-sufficiency is necessary? What are the future demands of the country’s sectors? How much energy is needed for factories? For transportation? For tourism? For consumers?

If energy becomes more expensive, will local consumers be able to purchase and use the appliances made by the factories? What is the acceptable balance between energy production and environmental impact? Will the country’s ecosystem be able to renew itself if the optimum amount of energy is produced? Can the required amount of energy come from a combination of old production technology and available new technology? These questions are the basis of a sound energy policy.

Besides setting standards like these, a sound energy policy has to find ways to enforce the standards. Laws must support the policy to punish those who transgress in important ways. Inspectors must be given authority to ensure that energy production facilities follow the set standards and fines must be levied when they fail to do so.

A sound energy policy relies as much on rewards as on punishments. Companies involved in developing the technologies that will make the policy possible in years to come must have tax incentives and grants. Ways must be found to make development free of red tape and the possibility of profits must be there.

A sound energy policy must keep a close watch on the producers and distributors of energy. If environmentally-friendly standards seem burdensome, exemption and subsidies can be added to tax breaks. Once a sound energy is in place, the standards can be changed as needed to keep the goals in sight.

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