On Energy Policy

I recently had the pleasure to meet Vito Stagliano, currently Director of Research at the National Commission on Energy Policy, but previously Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Analysis at the Department of Energy. This meeting spurred me to buy and read his book, A Policy of Discontent: The Making of a National Energy Strategy.

Energy policy is not a subject that one might expect to be captivating, but I found the book fascinating. Partly this comes from working at a Department of Energy lab, and partly from my growing interest in how socio-economic modeling can yield insights into climate change responses. However, above all, as Vito comments, "energy policy is Shakespearean, with heros and villians, although often not clear which is which." An unlikely statement, perhaps, but true.