Short Circuiting Policy: Interest Groups and the Battle Over Clean Energy and Climate Policy in the American States
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- Author：Leah Cardamore Stokes
- ISBN：0190074264
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Summary
In 1999， Texas passed a landmark clean energy law， beginning a groundswell of new policies that promised to make the US a world leader in renewable energy。 As Leah Stokes shows in Short Circuiting Policy， however， that policy did not lead to momentum in Texas， which failed to implement its
solar laws or clean up its electricity system。 Examining clean energy laws in Texas， Kansas， Arizona， and Ohio over a thirty-year time frame， Stokes argues that organized combat between advocate and opponent interest groups is central to explaining why states are not on track to address the climate
crisis。 She tells the political history of our energy institutions， explaining how fossil fuel companies and electric utilities have promoted climate denial and delay。 Stokes further explains the limits of policy feedback theory， showing the ways that interest groups drive retrenchment through
lobbying， public opinion， political parties and the courts。 More than a history of renewable energy policy in modern America， Short Circuiting Policy offers a bold new argument about how the policy process works， and why seeming victories can turn into losses when the opposition has enough resources
to roll back laws。
solar laws or clean up its electricity system。 Examining clean energy laws in Texas， Kansas， Arizona， and Ohio over a thirty-year time frame， Stokes argues that organized combat between advocate and opponent interest groups is central to explaining why states are not on track to address the climate
crisis。 She tells the political history of our energy institutions， explaining how fossil fuel companies and electric utilities have promoted climate denial and delay。 Stokes further explains the limits of policy feedback theory， showing the ways that interest groups drive retrenchment through
lobbying， public opinion， political parties and the courts。 More than a history of renewable energy policy in modern America， Short Circuiting Policy offers a bold new argument about how the policy process works， and why seeming victories can turn into losses when the opposition has enough resources
to roll back laws。
Reviews
Oren Mizrahi
，
**I read Stokes' thesis， not this book， though given that the chapter outline seems nearly identical， I figured the content was similar。 I opted for the thesis in an effort to read something more technical and to avoid the potential that the book would be watered down by the publisher。The thesis was simple， with an obvious punchline: interest companies on both sides of energy policy are pulling in different directions， often times regardless of the state or political party in charge。 Many of the **I read Stokes' thesis， not this book， though given that the chapter outline seems nearly identical， I figured the content was similar。 I opted for the thesis in an effort to read something more technical and to avoid the potential that the book would be watered down by the publisher。The thesis was simple， with an obvious punchline: interest companies on both sides of energy policy are pulling in different directions， often times regardless of the state or political party in charge。 Many of the details Stokes includes are very interesting and betray the interplay between politicians， utilities， and the public。 The dynamics here are not simple at all and it's elucidating to learn about them。 Stokes' prescriptions at the end are helpful， many specifically addressing lessons learned during the course of her research。 Others， like reducing income inequality， are less helpful and seem like a catch-all for progressive reforms。 I also doubt that income inequality would encourage people to spend more on their energy， especially when Stokes spends much of the thesis defending the position that energy policy and pricing structures are highly non-visible to the public。 Overall， the thesis forced me to think about these structures， decentralization， and how we might build a better future。 It's hopeful to imagine that this issue crosses partisan boundaries in non-obvious ways; perhaps this is an occasion for partnerships across the aisle。 。。。more
Phoebe Phelange
，
Well， this is a bit hard to review。 On the one hand， the book is incredibly well-researched and supported。 Stokes drives home the message that interest groups and lobbyists are to blame for our sluggish progress towards decarbonising the energy system。 On the other hand， her writing quite nearly bored me to tears。 Even as someone who is well-versed in dry academic writing and familiar with the US energy system， I found myself rereading sentences over and over again because they were so incredibl Well， this is a bit hard to review。 On the one hand， the book is incredibly well-researched and supported。 Stokes drives home the message that interest groups and lobbyists are to blame for our sluggish progress towards decarbonising the energy system。 On the other hand， her writing quite nearly bored me to tears。 Even as someone who is well-versed in dry academic writing and familiar with the US energy system， I found myself rereading sentences over and over again because they were so incredibly dense and repetitive。 I also found several major typos along the way。 Yikes。 。。。more
Lisa
，
Koch Bros really are self-serving and the path to deplorableApplicable to all issues where dark money is dealtExplains exactly what happened to the GOP; the moderates were primaried by dark money
Ray
，
I had the opportunity to see the author， Leah Cardamore Stokes， make a presentation on Clean Energy and the need for Climate policy， and was very impressed with her depth of knowledge of the subject and her ability to present the ins and outs of clean energy and climate policies。 Speaking to a general audience， she was clear and articulate， informative， and interesting - everything I was hoping for when reading this book。 However， and unfortunately for me， this book seemed more academic， more di I had the opportunity to see the author， Leah Cardamore Stokes， make a presentation on Clean Energy and the need for Climate policy， and was very impressed with her depth of knowledge of the subject and her ability to present the ins and outs of clean energy and climate policies。 Speaking to a general audience， she was clear and articulate， informative， and interesting - everything I was hoping for when reading this book。 However， and unfortunately for me， this book seemed more academic， more directed to political scientists and people involved with setting policies， writing standards， and creating legislation on public policy matters。 Clean energy policies in several U。S。 States are used in the latter chapters of the book to demonstrate which policies tend to work， and reasons why others failed to fulfill their intended purpose。 But it seemed more like a text book for political science undergrads than a general interest book for general audiences interested in clean energy matters。 。。。more
Ro
，
A very good look at the history of state-level energy and climate policy over the past few decades， but especially in the last 10-15 years， and some of the inner workings of how utility and fossil-fuel interests reacted to and undermined clean energy policies in Texas， Kansas， Arizona， and Ohio。 A lot of good local and regional history， and good surveys of the modern history of utility regulation and clean energy advocacy。 And very interesting qualitative analysis of the way insider/lobbyist pol A very good look at the history of state-level energy and climate policy over the past few decades， but especially in the last 10-15 years， and some of the inner workings of how utility and fossil-fuel interests reacted to and undermined clean energy policies in Texas， Kansas， Arizona， and Ohio。 A lot of good local and regional history， and good surveys of the modern history of utility regulation and clean energy advocacy。 And very interesting qualitative analysis of the way insider/lobbyist politics worked inside various state governments， and political polarization around clean energy， and how utility power can take hold of regulatory bodies， legislators， and courts。 A must-read for anybody of any level of prior knowledge who is interested in issues of utilities， clean energy laws， and political science。 。。。more
Andreana
，
Well， this is difficult to review。 I am a Dr。 Stokes stan。 I adore her articles， podcasts/interviews， and explanatory Twitter threads。 But I always needed to have a glass of water on hand while reading this book because it was so dry。 The arguments are solid， and the lessons learned are extremely important， but the writing bored me to tears。Look， I get it -- she's a professor， and this outlines her academic work。 As a washed up academic myself， I know all too well how dry academic writing is。 Bu Well， this is difficult to review。 I am a Dr。 Stokes stan。 I adore her articles， podcasts/interviews， and explanatory Twitter threads。 But I always needed to have a glass of water on hand while reading this book because it was so dry。 The arguments are solid， and the lessons learned are extremely important， but the writing bored me to tears。Look， I get it -- she's a professor， and this outlines her academic work。 As a washed up academic myself， I know all too well how dry academic writing is。 But knowing Stokes' capacity for crystal clear communication elsewhere， I was a bit disappointed。 So I can only recommend this book if you're a real polisci or policy wonk。 Or if you have a high tolerance for academic writing in your leisure reading。 Or if you already know a lot about the American electricity and energy landscape。 I'm glad I read it so I can say I did， but I don't think you need to read it to learn the core principles of Stokes' scholarship and message。 。。。more
Alicia
，
Not likely many people will read this book all the way but it has so much to offer。 Extensive research and well articulated interplay between policy， the public， lobbyists， companies and the next stages of implementation and policy retrenchment。 The discussion on these items can stand alone as useful beyond the energy policy area。 Key takeaways include the argument that utility companies receive government funds and at the same time contribute to representatives’ campaigns。 The same representati Not likely many people will read this book all the way but it has so much to offer。 Extensive research and well articulated interplay between policy， the public， lobbyists， companies and the next stages of implementation and policy retrenchment。 The discussion on these items can stand alone as useful beyond the energy policy area。 Key takeaways include the argument that utility companies receive government funds and at the same time contribute to representatives’ campaigns。 The same representatives vote on whether the companies will receive subsidies。 “Distressed companies ensuring profits regardless of the cost to the climate”。 “$60M into lobbying to get a return for $1 billion” getting a bailout bill passed。 At times arguments and solutions are provided without enough support but overall the author did a great job of backing up the assertions with research。 。。。more
Chiara Micalizzi
，
The book describes the conditions and mechanisms through which interest groups are able to short-circuit policy， by undermining policy feedback。 It explains how advocates and states can get climate policy back on track， beating opponents’ attempts to delay and obstacle the battle against climate change。 The author provides an overview of the evolution of renewable energy policies in the United States， presenting some emblematic case studies such as that of Texas and Kansas。 As an Italian reader， The book describes the conditions and mechanisms through which interest groups are able to short-circuit policy， by undermining policy feedback。 It explains how advocates and states can get climate policy back on track， beating opponents’ attempts to delay and obstacle the battle against climate change。 The author provides an overview of the evolution of renewable energy policies in the United States， presenting some emblematic case studies such as that of Texas and Kansas。 As an Italian reader， I recommend it to anyone who wants to deepen the US energy policy。 。。。more
Gregory
，
Super wonky but gives you a great understanding of the complex world of utilities。
Thomas
，
A comprehensive documentation of the systematic obstruction for renewable energy installations （mostly about solar， but also some wind covered） on a state-by-state basis。 In some cases， there were deliberate efforts by utilities to ignore， modify or get rid of provisions put in by state governments。 Other cases were direct （financial） influence for politicians to influence voting or to allow appointments of people with clear conflicts of interest to key regulatory positions。 States covered inclu A comprehensive documentation of the systematic obstruction for renewable energy installations （mostly about solar， but also some wind covered） on a state-by-state basis。 In some cases， there were deliberate efforts by utilities to ignore， modify or get rid of provisions put in by state governments。 Other cases were direct （financial） influence for politicians to influence voting or to allow appointments of people with clear conflicts of interest to key regulatory positions。 States covered include Texas， Kansas， Arizona， Ohio， California and Florida。 This book is worth keeping as a reference。 。。。more
Mike
，
Heavy on policy details so not for everyone， but it's well-written and well-communicated and I found it highly informative。 Heavy on policy details so not for everyone， but it's well-written and well-communicated and I found it highly informative。 。。。more
Claire
，
Phenomenal investigative reporting here on the influence that private utilities and corporations have on rolling back clean energy policies in states across the U。S。 Good call to action at the end to make energy and electricity more accessible through greater citizen advocacy at PUCs。
Kathleen
，
This is a super-nerdy book about clean energy policies and the role of advocates vs opponents across jurisdictions and I LOVED IT。 It includes a succinct institutional history of electricity politics and climate inaction and SO many fascinating observations。 I underlined， starred， scribbled， and otherwise geeked out — and my colleagues should probably prepare to listen to me quote this one at length！
Kelly M Hamel
，
Informative and empowering Great review of the history of energy and utilities in the u。s。 and essentially how a dysfunctional system was created， followed by clear cut strategies for how to transition the system to one that is better for the public and the planet。 Highly recommended to anyone interested in energy policy and especially for those starting off or engaging in advocacy。
Kira Barsten
，
Maybe closer to 3。5 stars （I feel so bad giving anything less than 4） but I learned so much from this book！ It is very dense and written like a thesis but it was incredibly well researched and I appreciated the authors willingness to bring in opposing viewpoints and explore them。 However， this lens/theory didn’t feel very intersectional and I wished there had been more of a discussion as to why carbon pricing is an environmental justice concern and why maybe it isn’t a good idea to support repub Maybe closer to 3。5 stars （I feel so bad giving anything less than 4） but I learned so much from this book！ It is very dense and written like a thesis but it was incredibly well researched and I appreciated the authors willingness to bring in opposing viewpoints and explore them。 However， this lens/theory didn’t feel very intersectional and I wished there had been more of a discussion as to why carbon pricing is an environmental justice concern and why maybe it isn’t a good idea to support republicans even if they support climate action and also the environmental/social costs of solar panels？ But I did like her analysis of interest groups and policy feedback and all the nitty gritty stuff！ Would recommend to anyone interested in getting a deeper look at energy policy/utilities/energy regulators and the role they all play in the clean energy transition， but don’t expect a gripping page turner！ 。。。more
Fraser Kinnear
，
Enormously illuminating but disheartening set of case studies for how government policies fail。 Stokes provides some theory in early chapters， but then dives into recent environmental policy failures in Texas， Kansas， Ohio， and Arizona。 The lifecycle of any policy passes through several stages， from initial drafts， to negotiations in the legislature， to implementation， to subsequent revisions。 Every step of the process provides opportunities for stakeholders to modify policy， and upwards of 40% Enormously illuminating but disheartening set of case studies for how government policies fail。 Stokes provides some theory in early chapters， but then dives into recent environmental policy failures in Texas， Kansas， Ohio， and Arizona。 The lifecycle of any policy passes through several stages， from initial drafts， to negotiations in the legislature， to implementation， to subsequent revisions。 Every step of the process provides opportunities for stakeholders to modify policy， and upwards of 40% of Federal policies change in their first decade。 But while Stokes’s focus is on the many ways those policy changes erode the efficacy of environmental protection， there are surely course changes that improve policies？ My laymen’s understanding of the Affordable Care Act is that there were lots of modifications we could be making to fix some real issues with the law， but in the past decade the political climate hasn’t allowed for these improvements， since they risk totally scuttering the law if it was re-opened。Some valuable lessons I took from this book:Ambiguous language in a law is oftentimes intentional， because legislators appreciate that they don’t have enough information to be comprehensive。 And， of course， those with a small government bent would argue that we should not be too prescriptive anyway。 Therefore， legislators expect some policies to be decided by the executive branch （the regulators empowered by the legislation）。Several states， including Arizona， thought that the public election of regulators would lead to more independent oversight。 In practice in Arizona， the opposite has happened， where the Public Utility Commission （PUC） has been captured by the utility companies it was meant to regulate。 This was due to the outsized influence the utilities created through campaign finance。 In recent elections， campaign spending by the utility companies on their preferred candidate was over 20x greater than the opponents who favored solar net metering。 Perhaps even more depressing about the Arizona story was the second part of the story。 After being reconstituted as a group favorable to energy utility companies， the PUC faced protests from Arizonans during their public sessions reviewing a solar net metering retrenchment they were about to push through。 The protests grabbed headlines and applied more public scrutiny， but the PUC was able to still eviscerate Arizona’s solar market thanks to the complexity of the policy they ended up passing。 As Stokes remarked， “It is difficult to hold a regulatory body accountable when its elected members do not even believe that the public can understand its decisions”。Other states provide similar hijinks。 For example， Ohio neutered its burgeoning wind energy market by passing a budget bill rider that increased the necessary distance between wind energy projects and property lines。 The right parties who would defend the wind energy interests even noticed the rider， but the resulting tripling of the distance required resulted in almost no planned wind farms being legal， and the largest project went from 152 turbines to 12。Stokes has some ideas for how to solve these issues。 For drafting， she advocates for policies that can reinforce themselves through path dependence。 For maintenance and preventing retrenchment， she advocates for intervener compensation programs。 California pioneered these in the early 1980’s， and have seen a lot of success。 The way this would work is utility customers would pay a small premium （effectively， a tax） that falls into a fund that awards groups who successfully intervene on bad policies。 I take this to basically mean utility customers are paying a small tax for someone to lobby in their interest。 。。。more
Bryce
，
As someone with a scientific education but no involvement in politics， this was a very educational book on the process policy moves through from legislation to enactment or retractment。 It helped open my eyes to the ability for a bill to change over time through amendments and the current interpretation of how it is utilized。 I came looking for more of a general history about clean energy policy （which I definitely got a little of in the earlier chapters） and ended up walking away with a more co As someone with a scientific education but no involvement in politics， this was a very educational book on the process policy moves through from legislation to enactment or retractment。 It helped open my eyes to the ability for a bill to change over time through amendments and the current interpretation of how it is utilized。 I came looking for more of a general history about clean energy policy （which I definitely got a little of in the earlier chapters） and ended up walking away with a more conceptual understanding of how clean energy opponents work against legislation。 It reaffirmed to me the issue of corporate lobbying and led me to hope for more laws about transparency in campaign financing going forward。 。。。more
Matt
，
This book is deep piece of policy research， fully sourced， while at the same time not hiding it's goal: fight the institutions （utilities and corrupt politics） that are a primary source of the research to advance climate action。 This dichotomy was difficult to pull off， awkward at times， but all in all it worked。Stokes places interest groups， advocates and opponents， at the center of a theory around energy policy change。 This is due to the highly technical and issue-specific nature of energy pol This book is deep piece of policy research， fully sourced， while at the same time not hiding it's goal: fight the institutions （utilities and corrupt politics） that are a primary source of the research to advance climate action。 This dichotomy was difficult to pull off， awkward at times， but all in all it worked。Stokes places interest groups， advocates and opponents， at the center of a theory around energy policy change。 This is due to the highly technical and issue-specific nature of energy policy， which also has an enormous impact on how money flows。 It's a convincing argument， exhibited through a series of state case studies。 While overwrought at times， centering the "fog of enactment" （or period of time after policy passage where rules are ambiguous） resonated。 The book has a number of examples of how governments use two policy levers， in many different ways， when it comes to boosting clean energy: altering relative prices or quantities of clean energy。 Monopolistic electric utilities， armed with guaranteed taxpayer funds they can throw at politicians and advocacy groups， often have the upper edge during policy development and during the fog， all to win by stalling。 Once utilities have sunk debt and equity into plants， they will do everything they can to keep them open， or have customers fully foot the bill for their bad decisions。 This is carbon lock-in and it's a powerful force against progress。Short Circuiting Policy reinforces， in my mind， the importance of federal energy policy to reach the speed and scale needed to fight the climate crisis。 Yes， state by state combat has and will lead to some big wins， so they are fights worth fighting。 But powerful entrenched interests mean we need a baseline of action across all 50 states to have a chance at decarbonization。 It's the same with oil and gas。 Chapter 3， "An institutional history of electricity politics and climate inaction"， provides valuable historical context。In sum， if energy and climate policy is your thing， then read this book。 And if you're short on time， maybe just read one or two state case studies。 。。。more
Adam C
，
Politically-mandated electric utilities have used their guaranteed profits to prevent， weaken， or remove laws and policies that work to decarbonize the electric grid。 Stokes lays out recent histories of several states' efforts to combat this influence by focusing on interest group involvement。 I wouldn't mind it being retired reading at the college level。 Politically-mandated electric utilities have used their guaranteed profits to prevent， weaken， or remove laws and policies that work to decarbonize the electric grid。 Stokes lays out recent histories of several states' efforts to combat this influence by focusing on interest group involvement。 I wouldn't mind it being retired reading at the college level。 。。。more
Carlos Hill
，
This is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the history， developments， and policy battles between Renewable Energy and Fossil Fuels！
David Cooke
，
The book is an academic look at the politics surrounding renewable policies and the way in which incumbency and monopoly grant utilities immense power that can then be used to whittle away at the slightest whiff of policies that might undermine their business。 This is obviously a thesis turned into a book， but I think it works tremendously well， if you are interested in the subject matter。I found the case studies immensely fascinating。 Some fights I remembered snippets of， but these are individu The book is an academic look at the politics surrounding renewable policies and the way in which incumbency and monopoly grant utilities immense power that can then be used to whittle away at the slightest whiff of policies that might undermine their business。 This is obviously a thesis turned into a book， but I think it works tremendously well， if you are interested in the subject matter。I found the case studies immensely fascinating。 Some fights I remembered snippets of， but these are individual sections that I think are more likely to be interesting to non-wonks， as the story of power and the exercise of it in the political domain transcends energy politics， and the case studies walk through clearly the fights as they occurred。 While these certainly could have been gussied up to be more compelling， and sometimes they suffer being sourced from academia， Stokes lays bare the brazenness with which the private sector throws around its political weight， using a number of different points of leverage。 I really appreciated how each case study explores a different type of fight， and you can see both points of overlap and points of uniqueness with equal clarity， which makes each chapter stand alone and not feel duplicative。In addition to the case studies， I appreciated the "intro to utility regulation" simply for laying out its origins， as we take for granted the way the system is set up today without considering how the power sector could have developed。 I also thought the "fog of enactment" and thesis （behind the thesis） sound and compelling and a different way for me， personally， to think about how to view policy actions。 The main issue in the book is simply its origin as a thesis -- the intro and conclusion chapters felt to me too much of an academic flair， and I think some of the repetition of specific phrases is jarring （not just the "fog of enactment，" but also "path dependence，" whose meaning in political science is completely inconsistent with its meaning in the hard sciences， which I personally found confusing）。 I do also question some of the advice to advocates as things that have been tried in a number of cases -- like， some of it just wreaks of the "you should do messaging better" nonsense around politics and media that is so frustrating and ignores the massive imbalance in communicative power that exists。 But， overall my complaint with those chapters is less the content and more just that they are too long。 But， such is the challenge of turning a thesis into a book。I'd highly recommend this to policy folks for the case studies， energy or otherwise， and I did think the main argument was sound and interesting， so even though the book is a bit academic， there's a lot to chew on regardless of whether or not you're specifically interested in energy policy。 。。。more
Brendan Andersen
，
Wow。 Incredibly well researched and highly informative。 I learned so much from Leah Stokes。 I constantly found myself getting frustrated and upset with how politics， special interest groups and lobbyists railroad meaningful clean energy policies。 “We must change the ending of this story and hold polluters accountable。 The fossil fuel era must end”。
Fred Rose
，
A deep and scholarly piece of work。 I don't think it's really for a casual reader; it's more like reading an academic paper。 But if you want to learn more about energy policy at the state level this is definitely the book for you。 I could see using chapters from this book in courses。 A deep and scholarly piece of work。 I don't think it's really for a casual reader; it's more like reading an academic paper。 But if you want to learn more about energy policy at the state level this is definitely the book for you。 I could see using chapters from this book in courses。 。。。more
Graham
，
This book is required reading for anyone interested in energy policy。 Stokes reveals utilities' prolonged attacks on clean energy policies with devastating clarity。 Impeccably （almost impossibly） well-researched， the book provides both an explanation of past roadblocks to combatting emissions in the electricity sector and a roadmap for progress moving forward。 Don't be put off by the first chapter， which reads like an academic journal article。 The rest of the book （starting with a perfectly cond This book is required reading for anyone interested in energy policy。 Stokes reveals utilities' prolonged attacks on clean energy policies with devastating clarity。 Impeccably （almost impossibly） well-researched， the book provides both an explanation of past roadblocks to combatting emissions in the electricity sector and a roadmap for progress moving forward。 Don't be put off by the first chapter， which reads like an academic journal article。 The rest of the book （starting with a perfectly condensed history of electricity regulation in the US in chapter 2） has a much more colloquial tone。 。。。more
Grace
，
This is an excellent history of the political struggles over climate and low-carbon energy policy in the US。 I was initially disappointed that this was not the technical book I needed to understand our national energy system。 However， I learned so much history， politics and political science that I just kept reading。If you find yourself bored by the state by state case studies， just skip to the conclusion where she gives her advice on where to focus the political pressure。 It would be nice to ha This is an excellent history of the political struggles over climate and low-carbon energy policy in the US。 I was initially disappointed that this was not the technical book I needed to understand our national energy system。 However， I learned so much history， politics and political science that I just kept reading。If you find yourself bored by the state by state case studies， just skip to the conclusion where she gives her advice on where to focus the political pressure。 It would be nice to have as much money as the Koch disinformation machine and to have limitless volunteers。 But， her analysis of where to fight and where to save your energy is spot on IMHO as an observer of the battles in CA and CO。I'm a physical scientist and new to activism。 It would have been nice to have a glossary of political science terms like "regulatory capture。" The prose is very readable and much of the details are relegated to footnotes to keep the story-telling crisp。 Detail-oriented people will benefit from reading the footnotes。 。。。more
Kathleen
，
I couldn't decide what this book was supposed to be: a political theory PhD thesis？ diligent expose on corrupt public utility commissions？ rallying cry for climate advocates？ By trying to cover all these bases， Stokes pulls off none of them well and even for an energy policy wonk like me this was a slog to finish。 Powerful insights into the the strength of the centralized utility model to withstand regulatory reform - a guaranteed customer base enables you to spend millions more than startups to I couldn't decide what this book was supposed to be: a political theory PhD thesis？ diligent expose on corrupt public utility commissions？ rallying cry for climate advocates？ By trying to cover all these bases， Stokes pulls off none of them well and even for an energy policy wonk like me this was a slog to finish。 Powerful insights into the the strength of the centralized utility model to withstand regulatory reform - a guaranteed customer base enables you to spend millions more than startups to influence elections - were interspersed between more mundane observations， a la: partnering with national groups "working across state lines" （can I drink every time I read that phrase？） strengthens local advocacy efforts。 Again， much of why this work falls flat is that it's a PhD thesis edited as if a few changes to phrasing will transform it into a resonant message to a general audience。 The Ohio， Arizona， and Kansas cases could have been much more powerful indictments of corrupt utilities written as investigative journalism （Steve Coll is a master of this in his "Private Empire" on Exxon Mobil）， enhancing the characters in the drama and leading the reader to conclusions， rather than summarizing all the main points and appropriate conclusions at the start of each chapter， as is appropriate for academic work。 Repeated use of made-up jargon -"the fog of enactment" - stands out as awkward and over-formalized for an appeal to a general audience。 Obvious bias criticizing opponents and praising proponents of renewable energy for the same influence tactics wouldn't be problematic in an Atlantic article designed to rally the troops for climate reform， but it jars with the objective tone expected of a research paper， or even a political expose。 Stokes has done exhaustive research into interest group influence of energy policy， and much the experiences she catalogues echo my limited experience in that field。 But with this book she's missed the opportunity to harness the power of these stories to inspire and mobilize clean energy supporters to work smarter to get the policies passed we need to save our planet。。。 which is disappointing that's clearly an outcome both Stokes and myself care deeply about。 。。。more
James
，