Short Circuiting Policy: Interest Groups and the Battle Over Clean Energy and Climate Policy in the American States
By: Lean Cardamore Stokes (2020)

Stokes argues that organized combat between opposing 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, illustrating how fossil fuel companies and electric utilities have promoted climate denial and delay through lobbying, public opinion campaigns,  legal action, and more.  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.