?Conservation is the name of the game in President Obama’s energy plan. And the way the plan is looking, if approved, it will play out like an agenda pushed by the electric-utility industry and environmental groups.

The plan includes government spending of more than $30 billion toward making the nation energy efficient, allocated in the following areas:

• $3 billion for home energy retrofits, which could include rebate checks for purchases of energy-efficient appliances;• $3 billion for energy retrofits at public buildings that may include hiring laborers to conduct energy ...