National Energy Act

Template:Short description Template:Use American English The National Energy Act of 1978 (NEA78) was a legislative response by the U.S. Congress to the 1973 energy crisis. It included the following statutes:

• Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) (Template:USPL)
• Energy Tax Act (Template:USPL)
• National Energy Conservation Policy Act (NECPA) (Template:USPL)
• Power Plant and Industrial Fuel Use Act (Template:USPL)
• Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 (Template:USPL)

The legislative initiative was introduced by President Jimmy Carter. The package was a major step in legislation regarding the energy field, involving both the supply and the demand side. The package was soon followed by the Energy Security Act, 8 acts signed by president Carter in 1980.<ref>History of Major Energy Policy Landmarks, The Pennsylvania State University 2015), retrieved 2015-12-14</ref> This sequel package addressed energy conservation and development of renewable energy sources.

The NEA78 and the "security" package established a framework for:

• Regulatory initiatives,
• Market-based initiatives,
• Energy efficiency programs,
• Tax incentives and disincentives,
• Energy conservation programs, and
• Alternative fuel programs.

Most of the market-based mechanisms have been retained in some form to the present, whereas command and control items have been abandoned.<ref>Julia Richardson and Robert Nordhaus: The National Energy Act of 1978, Natural Resources & Environment, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Summer 1995), pp. 62-68, 87-88</ref>

The next major step in energy legislation in the USA was the Energy Policy Act of 1992.

References

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