Toward a reform of energy policies in Italy: the need of a tangible benefit for the local communities. The production of underground, fossil energy sources has significantly characterized for decades the economic development of many countries, both in the microeconomic aspects of business operation efficiency, and in the macroeconomic aspects related to the balance of energy expenditure and tax revenue. Despite the spreading of many NIMBY (Not In My BackYard) protests, the need to relaunch the strategic area of exploration and production of fossil energy sources on new logical basis, requires a revision of the specific tax system. First of all, the so-called Royalties require revision, in order to give them consistency with the current discussion on the Title V of the Italian Constitution that aims to increase the decision making power of the local communities. This also brings into play the current discussions regarding the National Energy Strategy and the further revision of Title V of the Constitution, that tends to re-allocate jurisdiction on energy matters back to the state. In outlining any energy and industrial strategy/policy for the future, we cannot forget what all the institutional and non-institutional international actors have to say: hydrocarbons (in particular natural gas) in the near future will play a key role in driving our country, Europe, and the international community towards a source of energy, or better a mix of sources, that can really be an alternative to the hydrocarbon domain and most of all, that can be environmentally, socially and territorially sustainable. We need to seek forms of sustainable development from an environmental, industrial, fiscal and social point of view, bearing in mind that we will not be able to enter the Third Industrial Revolution (Jeremy Rifkin, 2011) in the short term and it may also be difficult in the medium term. A period of transition to these forms has to be seriously considered, and must ensure that this period is as short as possible and with as less impact as possible. Between the “snapshot of today†and the “dream for tomorrow†we need to include the “imagine of the meanwhileâ€.
