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Arnab Datta

Managing Director of Policy Implementation arnab@employamerica.org

About

As Managing Director of Policy Implementation, Arnab oversees and integrates policy and legal analysis across EA’s entire advocacy portfolio. From drafting legislative text for a US Industrial Finance Corporation, to crafting a market-making framework for a Strategic Resilience Reserve, to forging productive alliances across industry, government, and advocacy to change our energy future, Arnab’s work centers on translating good ideas into actionable policy.

In addition to holding a Bachelor of Commerce from University of Calgary, a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, and a Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law, Arnab brings multifaceted expertise gained from past experience in the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Office of Senator Michael Bennet, and the law firm of Crowell & Moring LLP.

Originally from Calgary, now based in Washington DC, Arnab is a trusted and credible expert not just on high-stakes policy questions, but the legal and economic premises that underlie them. His writing has been featured in the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Washington Post, Slate, and Business Insider, and he’s been interviewed on high-profile podcasts like Bloomberg’s Odd Lots, The Weeds, and Pitchfork Economics. When he’s not working with smart people on interesting problems at EA, you’ll find Arnab cooking or playing Batman video games.

Arnab Datta's Work

51 Posts
Arnab Datta

The administration’s recently proposed regulation for flexibly refilling the SPR is a welcome policy change with serious potential to deliver price and supply stabilization benefits.

The Department of Treasury should be making use of the Exchange Stabilization Fund (ESF) to target accelerated supply-side responses and insure critical producers against downside risks.

Given the discretion afforded the Secretary in utilizing the ESF, and the strong correlation between commodity price volatility and exchange rate volatility, the Secretary has the authority to establish a Supply Insurance and Acceleration Program for key commodities.

The White House and Congress should consider an “all-of-the-above” approach oriented around three objectives: (1) investments where productive capacity; (2) targeted policies for reducing sectoral demand; and (3) policies that facilitate greater competition and technological diffusion.

Creative production contracts involving the sale of put options (as we previously advocated for), could help set a soft “floor” on oil prices, preventing a large-scale return to consumer purchases of gas-guzzling cars.

Summary The Department of Energy (“DOE”) is about to engage in rulemaking to broaden the types of acquisitions it can engage in to help refill the reserve in a manner that is both cost-efficient and consistent with the broader goal of enhancing energy security. This rulemaking is a worthwhile opportunity

Since financial markets are complex and energy policy can be shrouded in legalese, it is worth taking a minute to translate some of the more abstruse language in the DOE’s announcement.

The recently-announced SPR release is the first step in a broader program to address oil price volatility in today's geopolitical environment.

Energy security has taken on new importance in wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We can use existing tools to confront these challenges without sacrificing our climate goals.

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