Question of US oil dependency gets tangled with DOE funding debate

Journal Article · Wed May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1996 · Fuel Technology amp Management

OSTI ID:457909

DePaul, M ^[1]

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1. ed.

The latest phase of the debate over the potential for an oil crisis or oil price spike sometime in the next decade was marked by the publication of an article, {open_quotes}Mideast Oil Forever?{close_quotes} by two US Department of Energy (DOE) senior staff members. The article follows months of comments by DOE officials that the department`s research and development (R&D) budget should not be reduced as Congress has proposed. DOE`s R&D budget plunged from nearly $3 billion in 1980 to just more than 500 million in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In fiscal year 1995, DOE R&D support was less than $1.2 billion, and President Clinton has requested an increase to almost $1.4 billion for fiscal year 1996, which has yet to pass Congress. In its fiscal year 1997 proposal, Congress has proposed slashing R&D funding to $465 million, while Clinton has requested $1.3 billion. The proposed cuts in R&D would leave the US unprepared during the coming oil crisis. It is predicted that rising US oil imports will bring the trade deficit above $100 billion in 2010 (in 1994 dollars). Critics of the DOE and Energy Information Administration (EIA) note that the EIA has for many years incorrectly predicted oil shortages and soaring prices.

• OSTI ID: 457909
• Journal Information: Fuel Technology amp Management, Journal Name: Fuel Technology amp Management Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 6; ISSN 1087-4003; ISSN FTMAFH
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
BUDGETS
ENERGY POLICY
ENERGY SHORTAGES
LEGISLATION
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
REGULATIONS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
US DOE
US ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION