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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Energy famine in late 20th-Century America

Book ·
OSTI ID:7308372
The remainder of the century is seen as a period of transition, when substitutions for oil and gas will be planned for and initiated and serious energy shortages should be anticipated. Studies made since the 1973 oil embargo all point to a series of worldwide crises due to unpredictable demand, long lead times for new energy source development, and miscalculations in capital investment. Conservation efforts can reduce some of the shortages, but not without economic strains. Regulations governing end-use efficiency, environmental protection, import quotas, taxes, investment incentives, and basic policy decisions on limiting growth will all complicate the situation. This review of energy resources examines the potential of combined government programs and higher prices for reducing energy consumption and the probability that the substitutes will not be adequate to replace imported oil if it should be restricted and when it is depleted. Neither coal nor nuclear power supplies are seen as likely to be interrupted, but in that event the burden on imported oil demand will be formidable. Projections of various studies estimate U.S. energy consumption at a wide range from 100 to 187 quads per year by the end of the century depending on the assumed direction of policy decisions. (DCK)
OSTI ID:
7308372
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English