The 1970s called — it wants its elitist energy policy and depressingly pessimistic narrative back. We should happily oblige and move toward a more optimistic, more realistic narrative of abundance and innovation supported by public policy. 

Deprivation and crisis marked U.S. energy policy in the 1970s. Too reliant upon unfriendly regimes, the Arab oil embargo caused fuel shortages, skyrocketing gas prices, and long lines at the gas pump. President Gerald Ford told the public to “drive less, heat less.” President Jimmy Carter, who put solar panels on the White House, then warned of a pending “national catastrophe” unless the public curbed its energy consumption. 

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