More and more companies have begun to consume less energy by making themselves more efficient  Over time, these efforts could place the United States at the forefront of an emerging global market for cleaner technologies  Such efforts are also essential to tackling the two big energy-related issues of the age: global warming and the dependence on precarious supplies of oil
The federal government should encourage these efforts by providing the necessary incentives, whether as loans, direct grants or targeted tax breaks
In the past, government incentives have made advances in energy conservation feasible, especially in the auto industry.