Abstract

The energy dilemma in the United States is neither the result of the recent embargo on imports nor the oil price increase of the oil exporting nations. It results from a series of complex energy problems facing America since at least 1956, when the drilling of exploratory wells began to rapidly decline. This dilemma is briefly, how to meet the ever increasing energy demand with continued and uninterrupted, relatively “cheap” supplies. United States Government actions appear to have played a major role in reducing the number of exploratory wells drilled and, consequently, in reducing domestic crude oil and natural gas production. At the same time, the development of other fossil and non-fossil fuels was delayed, while consumption has continued to increase. The recent embargos have only highlighted this problem. America’s consumption of all types of energy will grow dramatically over the next 30 years, and meeting this demand will greatly endanger the United States’ standard of living. No single type or form of energy can be expected to meet the expanding United States’ domestic needs. It is only through the expansion into new exploration ventures and by advanced technological developments, both in the United States and abroad, by private United States energy companies, that America can most quickly solve its present energy dilemma.