Question
Energy > Energy Policy > Oil Dependency
Oil dependency is a key national security issue
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Background
Energy independence is a stated goal of those who believe that the U.S. must reduce their reliance on oil purchased from outside the continent.
The benefits are argued to be the reduction of North America's energy dependence on unstable regions such as the Middle East and South America and limiting oil imperialism to the North American Free Trade Area, reducing exposure to terrorism abroad; lower balance of trade and foreign exchange stresses on the U.S. economy in an era when suppliers may begin to price oil in Euros; the development of renewable energy sources to displace fossil fuels; and the promotion of energy conservation and technology (such as insulation, green roof, and energy efficient lighting) exportable to energy-poor nations.
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Currently, the U.S. produces only 40% of the oil that it consumes. Greater self-sufficiency, it is claimed, would prevent major supply disruptions, such as the 1973 oil crisis and the 1979 energy crisis from reoccurring. Proponents argue that the potential for political unrest in other major suppliers, such as Saudi Arabia (15% of domestic consumption), Venezuela (13%), and Nigeria (10%), is abundant, and often moves crude oil prices (especially in the short-term), despite the risk-potential being factored into market prices as a matter of course.
In the beginning, proponents of energy independence looked to the United States' largely untapped domestic oil reserves, either known or potential. Those who favor increasing domestic oil production often suggest removing many of the limitations on oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (see Arctic Refuge drilling controversy) and the Outer Continental Shelf.
More recently, proponents of U.S. energy independence are looking to the wider use of alternatives such as ethanol fuel, methanol, biodiesel, plug-in hybrids and other alternative propulsion. The United States currently imposes an import tariff of 54 cents a gallon on ethanol fuel (there is no such import tariff on oil). In Brazil, ethanol is produced from sugarcane, which yields much more energy per acre than the corn used for ethanol production in the United States.
In the United States, oil is primarily consumed as fuel for cars, buses, trucks and airplanes (in the form of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel). Two-thirds of U.S. oil consumption is due to the transportation sector. A national strategy designed to shift all transportation to a combined use of alternative fuels and plug-in hybrids would free the U.S. from dependence on petroleum. If alternative fuels are desired at any cost, then the U.S. could also make Synthetic fuel from its abundant coal reserves. Methanol, synthetic diesel and gasoline made from U.S. coal can replace petroleum derived fuels for the next hundred years, which is long enough to develop sustainable domestic renewable fuels, such as ethanol or methanol made from U.S. Cellulosic Biomass.
see more on Wikipedia
The benefits are argued to be the reduction of North America's energy dependence on unstable regions such as the Middle East and South America and limiting oil imperialism to the North American Free Trade Area, reducing exposure to terrorism abroad; lower balance of trade and foreign exchange stresses on the U.S. economy in an era when suppliers may begin to price oil in Euros; the development of renewable energy sources to displace fossil fuels; and the promotion of energy conservation and technology (such as insulation, green roof, and energy efficient lighting) exportable to energy-poor nations.
see more on Wikipedia
Currently, the U.S. produces only 40% of the oil that it consumes. Greater self-sufficiency, it is claimed, would prevent major supply disruptions, such as the 1973 oil crisis and the 1979 energy crisis from reoccurring. Proponents argue that the potential for political unrest in other major suppliers, such as Saudi Arabia (15% of domestic consumption), Venezuela (13%), and Nigeria (10%), is abundant, and often moves crude oil prices (especially in the short-term), despite the risk-potential being factored into market prices as a matter of course.
In the beginning, proponents of energy independence looked to the United States' largely untapped domestic oil reserves, either known or potential. Those who favor increasing domestic oil production often suggest removing many of the limitations on oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (see Arctic Refuge drilling controversy) and the Outer Continental Shelf.
More recently, proponents of U.S. energy independence are looking to the wider use of alternatives such as ethanol fuel, methanol, biodiesel, plug-in hybrids and other alternative propulsion. The United States currently imposes an import tariff of 54 cents a gallon on ethanol fuel (there is no such import tariff on oil). In Brazil, ethanol is produced from sugarcane, which yields much more energy per acre than the corn used for ethanol production in the United States.
In the United States, oil is primarily consumed as fuel for cars, buses, trucks and airplanes (in the form of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel). Two-thirds of U.S. oil consumption is due to the transportation sector. A national strategy designed to shift all transportation to a combined use of alternative fuels and plug-in hybrids would free the U.S. from dependence on petroleum. If alternative fuels are desired at any cost, then the U.S. could also make Synthetic fuel from its abundant coal reserves. Methanol, synthetic diesel and gasoline made from U.S. coal can replace petroleum derived fuels for the next hundred years, which is long enough to develop sustainable domestic renewable fuels, such as ethanol or methanol made from U.S. Cellulosic Biomass.
see more on Wikipedia
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