Regulatory costs for hydroelectric power plants have risen from 5% of total costs in 1980 to 25-30% in 2010. As explained by the U.S. U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Regulation is the most consequential form of federal intervention in the energy industries," and "the regulation of energy markets can have the same consequences for energy prices, production, and consumption as the direct payment of a cash subsidy or the imposition of a tax."