ABSTRACT
The development of an energy policy is a key element in maintaining and improving the environment, because the use of energy affects the environment in an almost infinite number of ways. The conversion of fossil fuels to electricity produces thermal and chemical pollutants. The location of power plants raises the most complex of land use issues, and the production of raw fuels emphasizes similar questions of the use of land and natural resources. Beyond these serious but obvious questions lie the tremendously complex sociological and economic problems associated with the ever-increasing energy demands of our society. Only in the past few years has the question of “saturation” arisen. Can there be changes in human values leading to a gradual reduction in the rate of increase in the demand for energy, particularly electrical energy?
