Short circuiting policy: interest groups and the battle over clean energy and climate policy in the American states

In: Studies in postwar American political development

Abstract

Short Circuiting Policy examines clean energy policies to understand why US states are not on track to meet the climate crisis. After two decades of leadership, American states are slipping in their commitment to transition away from dirty fossil fuels toward cleaner energy sources, including wind and solar. The author argues that organized combat between advocate and opponent interest groups is central to explaining why US states have stopped expanding and even started weakening their renewable energy policies. Fossil fuel companies and electric utilities played a key role in spreading climate denial.