As the largest energy consumer throughout the world, the United States is currently supposed to consume around 20 million barrels of crude oil per day, but on the contrary, it is only able to produce 8 million barrels of crude oil per day. Based on the more and more austere international energy situation and directing at the problem disclosed by the American blackout in 2003, U.S. President George W. Bush signed ¡°National Energy Policy Act¡±, which is the most wide-ranging energy law since past 40 years in the United States.
In addition to the effective increase in domestic supply, the most eye-catching part related to the ¡°Act¡± lies in that Bush administration utilizes the fiscal leverage to initiate the American people to save energy. The ¡°Act¡± stipulates that in 2015, the federal government¡¯s building energy consumption shall be 20% lower than that in 2003; at the same time, the federal government shall provide financial support to the energy efficiency plan of hospitals, schools, and other public buildings, and encourage enterprises to save energy. In the next 10 years, the ¡°Act¡± also authorizes the U.S. government to offer 14. 6 billion dollars of tax cut limit for the nation's energy enterprises so as to encourage the oil, gas, electricity and gas enterprises to adopt energy-saving measures. At the same time, the ¡°Act¡± will improve the Energy Efficiency Standard for household energy-intensive electric appliances, such as air conditioner and refrigerator; while with regard to the R&D of energy-saving technology and new nuclear power, the government will provide loans and other subsidies.
As the world's largest energy consumer, the United States has worked out a series of laws and regulations on energy-saving and energy-cleaning which set detailed and strict limits on the standards for energy consumption and pollution, and are combined with relative measures to ensure effective implementation. Under the supervision of the public and the media, both the enterprise and the Governmental law enforcement agency will be confronted with very heavy social pressure if an enterprise has got out of line. In the eyes of the law, if an enterprise is sentenced in violation of regulations on energy-saving and energy-cleaning, penalties will be severe. It may go bankrupt or has to assume the heavy burden of pollution cleanup. As a result, these laws and regulations have formed an effective deterrent to the U.S. enterprises in general, and made them not dare to defy the law. |
