Since 2002, the National Commission on Energy Policy--a bipartisan group of 20 of the nation’s leading energy experts representing the highest ranks of industry, government, academia, labor, consumer and environmental protection—has been advising Congress, the Executive Branch, States and other policymakers regarding long-term U.S. policy.

In December 2004, the Commission released a long-term energy strategy, Ending the Energy Stalemate: A Bipartisan Strategy to Meet America’s Energy Challenges based on more than 35 original research studies and two years deliberation that reached consensus. Many key elements of plan were adopted in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The Commission issued additional major recommendations in 2007, including specific legislative approaches to increasing US automotive fuel economy for the first time in 30 years, which were adopted into law by Congress in 2007.

The Commission will continue to identify and address the political and analytical barriers that have thwarted previous efforts at energy policy reform and conduct extensive outreach to government, business, NGO and other communities. By taking a bipartisan approach, and seeking to connect the expertise and objectivity of scientific research with political realities, the Commission seeks both to build on and distinguish itself from past energy policy efforts.

In 2009 and 2010, the Commission will focus, in particular, on three critical long-term issues: oil security, climate change, and energy infrastructure adequacy and siting.

The Commission is funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and its partners.