Climate change, energy generation and use, and environmental degradation are among the most salient--and controversial--political issues today. Our country's energy future will be determined by the policymakers who enact laws that favor certain kinds of energy production while discouraging others as much as by the energy-production companies or the scientists working to reduce the environmental impact of all energy production.

The Reality of American Energy: The Hidden Costs of Electricity provides rare insights into the politics and economics surrounding electricity...