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<br />Enactment of five bills in the National Energy Act in 1978 and of the <br />Crude Oil Windfall Profit Tax Act and the Energy Security Act in 1980, <br />instituted a series of comprehensive programs which present a coordinated <br />approach to achieving national energy goals. The key elements of this <br />recent energy legislation promote increased use of domestic coal resources, <br />conservation measures, accelerated programs for developing alternative <br />energy resources and fuels, and disincentives for increasing US depend- <br />ency on petroleum and natu ral gas. <br />Section 2.0 of this report discusses the major provISionS of Federal <br />legislation and regulatory programs which have historical, current, and <br />future impacts on the production, allocation, and use of energy resources. <br />The discussion is structured to demonstrate the development of policies <br />affecting energy markets rather than to provide an exhaustive review of <br />all the provisions contained in Federal energy laws. <br />The information in Section 2.0 includes legislation e'nacted as of <br />July 1, 1980. This analysis was completed in 1980; since then, the Reagan <br />Administration has moved to reduce Federal regulation of energy resources. <br />No attempt has been made to update the original analysis to explicitly <br />incorporate, those changes or any pending changes in federal energy regu- <br />lations because the energy regulatory analysis documented here formed the <br />basis for the other High Plains Study work elements. <br /> <br /> <br />1.3 HIGH PLAINS STATES' ENERGY REGULATION <br />State law had a significant influence on energy production prior to <br />the enactment of the Federal statutes which deal with interstate trade and <br />anti-trust activities. State energy regulation developed primariiy under <br />the states' constitutional powers to control natural resource development <br />and to protect public health, safety, and welfare. <br />Early controls on oil qnd natural gas production in major energy <br />producing states such as Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas were directed <br />towarcj preventing both reservoir energy waste and economic waste. <br />Consequently, this regulation also favored the economic development of <br />energy industries in these states. During the 1930's, the states began <br /> <br />1-4 <br />