Deregulating Clean Energy

Dave Roberts has a couple of great examples of potential left-right partnerships to reduce regulatory barriers to building the 21st century grid we need to build a clean energy future.

“Deregulation” has become a right-wing concept. And at times rightly so—we really do need regulations to internationalize environmental externalities and prevent other kinds of harms. But it is worth recalling that liberals such as Ted Kennedy were important leaders in the deregulation of the late-1970s and early 1980s. Oftentimes regulatory schemes are nothing but outdated ways of maintaining the dominant market position of incumbent operators or other privileged stakeholders.