ABSTRACT
The situation of the California Energy Commission and similar agencies is a difficult one. Many of the situations in which the Energy Commission is designated decision maker turn out to have this characteristic – namely, that, regardless of surface appearances, the ultimate decision is actually made by the overall societal system. Energy, water, land use, housing, transportation, and environmental issues are all intertwined; one cannot be planned in the absence of intimate coordination with the others. Energy policies are inextricably linked with social and development policies. Decision making in the supply-focused strategy tends to be highly centralized–in government agencies, energy companies, utilities, foreign governments, and financial institutions. A demand-focused strategy permits a more gradual development of energy supplies and a more careful selection among them. If California energy policies are to be chosen such that they influence society toward a supply-focused strategy, decisions for new energy supply developments should be made very soon.
