The purpose of this paper is to describe research sponsored by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) into the nature of the auctions described in the bills. The research was undertaken at the request of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to assess how various provisions in the bills might affect the workings of the market. Because the project called for the analysis of market mechanisms that do not now exist, a laboratory'' approach was applied in which artificial markets are created using computerized trading, volunteer subjects, and cash incentives to mimic the markets being studied. Dr. Mark Isaac, at the University of Arizona, and Dr. Jamie Kruse, at the University of Colorado, led teams that designed and conducted the laboratory experiments. 4 figs., 5 tabs
