Emergency demand restraint measures: a descriptive survey

Technical Report · Thu Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1982

OSTI ID:5459973

Coda, M J

This report offers a catalogue of emergency demand restraint mesures; it includes all those which have received significant public attention. Estimates of oil savings from each measure are provided and a descriptive identification of possible cost and inefficiencies made. Tables are used to summarize the expected oil consumption savings resulting from the measures and, for comparative purposes, the estimated size of price increases necessary to accomplish similar reductions. While only illustrative, these shadow prices are, in many cases, surprisingly small. For example, a $0.04 per gallon price increase would achieve the same gasoline savings as a plan to reduce single-passenger commuting by forcing employers to adopt strategies such as restrictions on parking and vanpool programs. Regulations also impose administrative and enforcement costs which constitute a dead-weight loss to society. Estimates of the size of these costs have been provided when available. An important question, not addressed in this paper, is whether these costs are worth bearing in order to avoid the income distributional consequences associated with price increases. In offering suggestions for further research, the author observes that the loss of consumer satisfaction from emergency demand restraint measures is often understated because it does not take into account other costs consumers must bear (lower speed limits increase travel time) or because they fail to include the reduction in well-being when consumer choices are distorted. Unless they are integrated into the analytical process, biases and distortions will be introduced into comparisons among emergency demand restraint options and between them and the use of the price and tax system to limit demand. 7 refs., 7 tabs.

• Research Organization: Resources for the Future, Inc., Washington, DC (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC01-80PE70267
• OSTI ID: 5459973
• Report Number(s): DOE/PE/70267-T11; ON: DE85016762
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
292000 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Supply
Demand & Forecasting
294002* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Petroleum
ALLOCATIONS
CONSTRAINTS
DEMAND
EMERGENCY PLANS
ENERGY CONSERVATION
ENERGY DEMAND
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
PETROLEUM
REGULATIONS
SUPPLY DISRUPTION
TARIFFS