A Framework for Developing a National Energy Conservation Program

The report analyzes energy conservation opportunities and evaluates how the administration might develop an overall national energy conservation program. For the Government to lead the Nation effectively toward a more efficient use of energy, the administration should establish an overall national energy conservation goal which includes an acceptable level of crude oil imports and, at the same time, the eventual use of renewable energy resources. The following overriding problems reduce the effectiveness of present energy conservation policies and programs: (1) the lack of an overall energy conservation goal; (2) the lack of an agressive Federal in-house energy conservation program; and (3) the failure of the Congress and the administration to agree on emergency energy conservation and gasoline-rationing plans. The report provides a framework for evaluating energy conservation strategies ranging from voluntary initiatives to mandatory actions. It also provides for selecting specific policies and programs based on an evaluation of expected energy savings and costs and on environmental, economic, and social impacts.