U.S. Energy Information Administration

It’s always interesting to witness a convergence of events that serve to highlight and illustrate an issue raised in the course of public debate. Such a convergence has occurred in recent weeks, in this case involving energy efficiency standards set by the states and the federal government, which date to the days when Ronald Reagan was governor of California and public consciousness began turning to the idea that energy was a vital commodity that needed to be regulated via public policy. On December 31, with most of us ensconced in a holiday glow against the biting cold, the Associated Pres