Conflicting reports issued on energy policy. (News).(Brief Article)

WASHINGTON, DC--The National Energy Policy Initiative (NEPI), announced at a press conference on March 14th led by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D.-NM), contains a series of broad-ranging policy recommendations based on the conclusion that integrating proven policy innovations could simultaneously make the nation more secure, more prosperous, and more environmentally sound.

As debate over energy policy heated up, a new study by Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA), "Energy Restructuring at a Crossroads," described a series of twelve policy and structural changes as the minimum steps needed to move the U.S. electric power industry beyond its current crisis of confidence. This report, which was released on March 5, was sponsored by Accenture and involved more than 40 energy companies, industry associations, and regulators.

NEPI's policy recommendations are the consensus of a conference of 22 independent energy policy experts. The report asserts that the United States would be more secure and more prosperous if the nation focused on energy efficiency, invested in less-polluting automobiles and electricity systems, and diversified its range of energy supplies.

"Promoting efficiency is the key to developing a truly comprehensive energy policy," said Bingaman, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Bingaman, who hosted a Capitol Hill briefing on the NEP Initiative for members of Congress, their ...