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<br />1-3 <br /> <br /> <br />< . <br /> <br />.i ( <br /> <br />. Effects of regulation in ameliorating the impacts of energy short- <br />falls on the regional economy were considered. <br /> <br />1.2 FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATION <br />Federal energy law evolved from a number of traditional areas as <br />various energy industries and energy markets developed. Policies of the <br />Federal government have had numerous effects on the production of energy <br />resou rces, but these effects were not the resu Its of any cohesive national <br />energy policy until very recently. <br />The needs of national defense and security prompted Federal actions <br />impacting energy resources in order to assure reliable supplies of fuel for <br />military use. Most of the Federal government's early efforts in the research <br />and development of alternative energy technologies were primarily directed <br />towards military applications and did not reflect national energy goals. <br />Federal income tax provisions applicable to energy resources were designed <br />to promote economic activity and assure supplies for military needs. <br />Disposal and development of the public domain included programs for <br />mineral resource development, but these evolved in response to the overall <br />pOlicies of economic growth and expansion. More recently, national policies <br />for achieving and maintaining clean air and water and of instituting multiple <br />use management of Federal land resources have led to the implementation of <br />laws with major influences on energy production and availability. <br />Some early Federal energy regulatory programs were also initiated to <br />avoid state restraints on commerce, while a few were enacted for consumer <br />price protection. <br />World events and declines in domestic oil and natural gas production <br />in 1973-1974, however, elevated energy matters to a status worthy of <br />national policy development. Federal activities in energy matters have <br />grown tremendously in the past seven years. Three presidents developed <br />national energy plans and urged Congress to enact the necessary legislation. <br />Many of the instituted measures addressed primarily short-term solutions, <br />and their impacts on traditional energy supply and demand patterns often <br />caused conflicts and uncertainties for producers and consumers alike. <br />