ELI Undertakes Study of Energy Research Needs

The Institute is preparing a series of recommendations on non-technological research and development needs in the energy field under a grant from Resources for the Future (RFF), Washington, D.C. The Institute's proposals, together with those generated by RFF, will be submitted to the National Science Foundation (NSF). The study is being conducted in conjunction with the Federal Power Commission's Power Survey, and the research suggestions will be given to the Power Commission for consideration. It is also expected that many of the research needs identified by the ELI/RFF study will be considered for funding by NSF, private foundations, and other research organizations.

There has been considerable research — although certainly not enough — concerning the technological developments needed to solve the nation's energy problems. Likewise, there have been a number of strong policy positions taken by advocates of differing viewpoints. The Institute's study is not designed to treat either category. Instead, the Institute, speaking from the environmental viewpoint, will identify problem areas in which well conceived research or development studies might isolate the actual costs of policy alternatives, or might demonstrate and evaluate alternate implementation strategies for achieving stated goals, or might produce suitable institutional structures for decision making. Examples of the type of problems which ELI's study will suggest for further research might include studies of incentive mechanisms [3 ELR 10050] for lowering energy consumption, suggestions for redesigning state regulatory agencies to improve their responsiveness to non-economic factors, or new mechanisms for reflecting heretofor unquantified environmental costs in energy prices.

The Institute has commissioned two papers which will set forth their respective authors' views of environmentally-oriented research which ought to be funded. In addition to these two papers, the Institute itself is coordinating and assembling viewpoints from individuals and environmental groups throughout the country. Finally, the Institute is hosting a small workshop of environmentalists at Airlie House to discuss these issues. The Institute will assemble the broadly expressed needs for research into a report which it will present to RFF, NSF and the FPC.

ELR readers who wish to suggest topics in the energy field should feel free to communicate with the Institute. The most valuable proposals are those which are not policy statements but suggest research needs and which contain some awareness of prior research in the field. Readers may address suggestions to or obtain further information from Grant P. Thompson, Esq., Environmental Law Institute, 1346 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.