The United States has been searching for some years for a viable energy policy. Energy policy became a matter of prominence in the early 1970s, when world oil prices began to climb and OPEC emerged as a front-page phenomenon and a familiar topic on the evening news. This is not to say that there...

Since October of 1973 many Americans of various political persua- sions have called for a clear and coherent energy policy. Those on the left tend to believe that Americans, lacking the foresight or self- discipline required to make appropriate adjustments to energy shortages, must have their...