US. Energy Policy - Essay Example

eaties and other incentives to investment, that aim at revamping the energy sector to make it responsive to modern day needs as well as making it sustainable for future generations (Moselle Jorge and Richard 117). The US Energy Policy is a collective responsibility of various organs at the federal, state and local authorities. These organizations have the responsibility of managing production or energy, its distribution and consumption. They also address issues such as gas mileage standards and building codes.

Currently, about 85% of energy in the US comes from fossil fuels while the rest comes from Nuclear and Hydro stations. Most of the energy is used in industries, transport and domestic use. A big percentage of oil, gas and electricity imports in the US comes from Canada (Moselle, Jorge and Richard 106). The current energy policy in the US includes three Energy Policy Acts and various initiatives to promote renewable sources of energy, innovation and affordability of energy. President Obama’s administration has instituted various reforms in the energy sector that aim at reducing CO2 emissions in the atmosphere and promote sustainable energy development.

The US government has over the years, proposed different initiatives as a response to different energy needs, but there still lacks an elaborate long-term energy policy. The fact that is no elaborate energy policy for the long term has elicited heated political debates with some people criticizing the government for being short cited and only responding to energy crises at the expense of preparing for the long-term challenges. There is also criticism that government energy policies in the US enacted after the oil crisis in 1973 ignore market forces and technology to provide quick fixes for emerging crises.

Scholars in the US have also criticized Energy Policies for not focusing on research, innovation and entrepreneurship in the energy sector. They criticize the energy policy for focusing on short-term