Paying Too Much for Energy? The True Costs of Our Energy Choices
Name
2012-002.pdf
Description
main article
Size
438.13 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
55fc0465faf38fe90cb3551de678dc47
Author(s)
Greenstone, Michael
Looney, Adam
Date Issued
February 2012
Publisher
MIT CEEPR
Citation
WP-2012-002
Series/Report no.
CEEPR Working Papers;2012-002
Abstract
Energy consumption is critical to economic growth and quality of life. America’s energy system,
however, is malfunctioning. The status quo is characterized by a tilted playing field, where
energy choices are based on the visible costs that appear on utility bills and at gas pumps. This
system masks the “external” costs arising from those energy choices, including shorter lives,
higher health care expenses, a changing climate, and weakened national security. As a result, we
pay unnecessarily high costs for energy. New “rules of the road” could level the energy playing
field. Drawing from our work for The Hamilton Project, this paper offers four principles for
reforming U.S. energy policies in order to increase Americans’ well-being.
Description
http://web.mit.edu/ceepr/www/publications/workingpapers.html
Terms of Use
An error occurred on the license name.
Persistent DSpace Link
