Top Federal Energy Policy Goals

This briefing by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) outlines 17 federal energy policy goals designed to reduce U.S. oil use and greenhouse gas emissions by 50% each within 10 years. The strategy prioritizes reducing energy demand through efficiency in buildings, transport, and industry before substituting supply with renewables and a 'Smart Grid'. RMI estimates these goals could create over three million jobs by 2012.

• RMI proposes 17 federal goals that could collectively reduce U.S. oil use and greenhouse gas emissions by 50% each in 10 years, while creating more than three million jobs by 2012.
• The document advocates for a 'demand first, then substitute supply' approach, emphasizing that energy efficiency is the primary lever for reducing demand, specifically through industrial efficiency, efficient vehicles, and building retrofits.
• For the transport sector, RMI recommends that all new light-duty vehicles achieve at least 50 MPGe by 2020. This would be supported by 'feebate' legislation—where inefficient vehicles are surcharged to fund rebates for efficient ones—and scrap-and-replace programs targeting lower-income Americans.
• In the buildings sector, RMI suggests that all new constructions should exceed the '2030 Challenge' goals. For existing buildings, they propose increasing federal incentives for retrofits and implementing energy scorecards for all buildings to inform buyers and renters.
• RMI calls for the installation of a 'Smart Grid' to enable two-way flows of electricity and information, which would support distributed generation, electrified vehicles, and dynamic balance of supply and demand.
• The briefing recommends a complete 'desubsidization' of the energy system, calling for an independent agency to document and publish all direct and indirect subsidies to ensure all energy technologies compete on a level playing field.
• To support the clean energy economy, RMI proposes the creation of an 'energy corps' to provide student loan forgiveness and training for skilled workers in areas such as energy auditing, HVAC engineering, and building commissioning.

APA

RMI (n.d.). Top Federal Energy Policy Goals. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_RMI-Top-Federal-Energy-Policies.pdf

Chicago

RMI. Top Federal Energy Policy Goals. n.d. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_RMI-Top-Federal-Energy-Policies.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Top Federal Energy Policy Goals |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_RMI-Top-Federal-Energy-Policies.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmindtop, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Top Federal Energy Policy Goals}}, institution = {RMI}, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_RMI-Top-Federal-Energy-Policies.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }