ENERGY INDEPENDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES 3
The noticeable increase in natural gas production in the United States, U.S-based
industries will use the resource more than oil. This transformation will be significant to the
country’s reduction of oil importation. The firms will use natural gas, which will be a domestic
supply rather than imported oil. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the
provision of internal energy will leverage the efforts of ending the vulnerability of the American
economy in the face of imported energy disruptions (Dunham and Schlosser, 2016). Moreover,
the Advanced Energy Initiative Program that President W. George raised provides a viable
framework to substitute renewable fuels. The program’s aim entails replacing over 75% of U.S
of oil imports from the Middle East with renewable energy such as ethanol among others
(O'Rear, Sarica, & Tyner, 2015). Kobek, Ugarte, and Aguilar (2015) note that the United States
has embraced hydraulic fracturing to exploit shale gas from rock formations, which were
inaccessible several decades ago. The use of such technologies will propel America beyond a
petroleum-based economy.
Conclusion
Dependence on the foreign supply of oil threatens the economic security of the United
States. Oil supply and demand depend on a plethora of factors, which make the product volatile.
For many years, the United States has sought various frameworks of reducing dependence on oil
imports through exploitation and diversification of domestic oil resources. As such, the country
has embraced a combination of technologies to help exploit oil and natural gas reserves
regardless of their accessibility. For instance, the use of hydraulic fracturing has made the
production of shale gas from formerly inaccessible rock formations. These efforts will eventually
lead to energy independence of the United States, despite shifting from a petroleum industry to a
diversified economy.
