Once you realize it's all about accumulation of power to the central authority, everything else falls into place. This doesn't apply only to the energy situation, but to pretty much every major modern issue.

A lot of people are perplexed, wondering why politicians continue to do such inane things when the workable solutions to the problems seem so obvious.

It's because those solutions don't help them accumulate power. There's a lot of power to be had in scarcity, rationing, and industrial and consumption controls. Never mind the systemic guilt that's a major feature of environmental issues.

My God, the environmental nuts finally moved past pollution, particulates, toxins, and all the rest, and managed to actually criminalize combustion itself. Twenty years ago I would have told you such a thing was nuts.