Business Battles in the US Energy Sector

Christian Downie is an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow in the School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet) at The Australian National University, and author of The Politics of Climate Change Negotiations: Strategies and Variables in Prolonged International Negotiations (2014).

"Despite mounting evidence of catastrophic climate change, some fossil fuel industries continue to resist the green energy revolution. Christian Downie’s excellent book provides a succinct analysis of the climate policy battles within the US energy sector. Anyone who wants to know how to overcome corporate resistance should read this book!" -- Robert Falkner, Associate Professor of International Relations and Research Director, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, LSE, UK"This very well written volume provides a detailed examination of the fascinating corporate struggles and strategies to shape environmental policy in America. It tells the story of a crucial but frequently overlooked part of the climate discussion and how the energy industry has shaped its regulatory framework." -- Simon Dalby, Professor, Balsillie School of International Affairs, Canada"Business sectors related to fossil fuels are the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, but business also controls the financial and technological resources to help fix the problem. As Christian Downie lays out so cogently and clearly in this landmark book, business also controls powerful political resources which it uses to shape public debates and regulatory policy. His detailed exploration of six major policy battles in the United States during the Obama administration highlights the ways that businesses behave as political actors, through lobbying, mobilizing coalitions, and framing debates. Downie also points to ways that policymakers can harness a nuanced understanding of business power to pursue environmental goals, for example, by deftly manoeuvring through inter- and intra-sectoral divisions and by crafting incentives that reshape business interests." -- David Levy, Professor, Academic Co-Director, Sustainable Solutions Lab, University of Massachusetts, USA

• List of FiguresList of TablesPreface Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Chapter 1 – Introduction Chapter 2 – Understanding Business Preferences, Strategies and InfluenceChapter 3 – Exporting to the World: Policy contests in the oil and gas industriesChapter 4 – The War on Coal: Policy contests in the coal and utility industriesChapter 5 – The Rise of Renewable Power: Policy contests in the wind and solar industriesChapter 6 – Re-thinking Business Behaviour in the US Energy Sector Chapter 7 – What Should Policymakers Do?BibliographyIndex