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Comprehensive investigation and analysis of the effects of policies on energy conservation and emission reduction or envi⁃ ronmental regulation have important reference value for the specific implementation of environmental regulation policies. Based on the provincial panel data of China from 2000 to 2019, the present study took the introduction of the Action Plan for Air Pollution Prevention and Control as a quasi-natural experiment and used the DID approach to conduct causal identification. Eight provinces or municipali⁃ ties in the three regions of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Pearl River Delta were selected as the treatment group and the other provinces as the control group. The regional differences in energy mismatch effects of environmental regulation poli⁃ cies were evaluated by comparing the sample areas in the treatment group and the control group. According to the empirical analysis, environmental regulation policies had a significant negative effect on energy mismatch, i.e., the greater the intensity of environmental regulation policies, the stricter the constraints on enterprises, and the higher the internalized cost of enterprises. The continuous im⁃ provement in energy marginal output of 'forced' enterprises made the energy mismatch index higher. Combined with typical facts, it was found that the current environmental regulation policies had a role in promoting the over-distribution of energy mismatch. Specifi⁃ cally, after 2013, when the energy mismatch index in many regions exceeded 1, they did not show a trend of approaching 1, but instead continued to rise at a fast speed. Further research showed that regional differences in environmental regulation policies led to regional differences in energy mismatch effects, which were realized through different levels of implementation intensity of local governments. That is, the stronger the implementation intensity of local governments in accordance with the central environmental regulation require⁃ ments, the higher the energy mismatch index. Finally, based on the research conclusions, this paper puts forward some suggestions for the improvement of environmental regulation policies in the next stage. First, the institutional arrangement of regional differences in en⁃ vironmental regulation policies is a 'double-edged sword'. Although it can make the regions have a target based on their local realities, it is not conducive to the construction of a large unified domestic market. Second, it is suggested that energy market reform be accelerat⁃ ed, that prices play a leading role, and that the role of the market in energy allocation be enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]