Paying Too Much for Energy? The True Costs of Our Energy Choices
Author(s)
Greenstone, Michael; Looney, Adam
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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
Date issued
2012-02Publisher
MIT CEEPR
Citation
WP-2012-002
Series/Report no.
CEEPR Working Papers;2012-002
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