Energy

Energy interdependence is a core fact that should guide policy for energy security. This stands in sharp contrast with the oft repeated calls to seek energy security through energy independence, vaguely conceived in the United States as somehow disconnecting the nation from the world energy market, especially the market for oil. From the announcement of Project Independence by President Richard Nixon, who set out a goal of zero oil imports by 1980, to the asserted policies of both candidates nominated to succeed President George W. Bush, eliminating dependence on foreign oil has been a rhetorically prominent policy goal. However, despite the repeated calls for reducing oil dependency, U.S. oil imports actually rose from 35 percent to 58 percent of products supplied.