US Foriegn Dependancy for Oil - Term Paper Example

 U.S. Foreign Dependency on Oil Introduction For decades, the United States has depended on foreign aid for oil imports, putting the country in a state of unwavering dependency with other countries and nations. While the United States dependency on foreign oil was originally a matter that did not harbor too much concern, tensions have begun to increase as the United States requires more oil, which has brought upon an intense desire to cut importing with some of these countries. The United States’ dependency on oil has become more of a threat than a benefit, with some of these foreign countries threatening to cut the United States from their oil supply unless other needs are met (Klare, 2010). As tensions continue to increase, the need to cut foreign dependency must decrease. It is because of this that the United States government has been trying to figure out alternative methods and solutions to allow the United States to no longer be dependent on foreign oil. A solution for the United States to gain its own independence in regard to oil would have to require obtaining oil from a non-foreign source. Unfortunately, this does not present the United States with very many options. After all, if the United States had been able to obtain oil without resorting to foreign imports, the nation would have done so long ago, entirely avoiding being dependent on foreign countries. However, there are three potential non-foreign oil alternatives to solve the ever-growing oil dependency problem in the United States, and they are as follows: simply put, drill elsewhere, or make use of the abundance of natural gas that the United States has, or lessen the need for oil to begin with. These three methods are possibilities to arrive at the solution of making the United States independent of foreign oil by making use of its own oil. If these strategies are implemented into everyday life, we can easily become independent on our own oil for a hundred years, if not more. Brief History Though there is no set date when the United States first became dependent on foreign oil, it is believed to have been roughly in the early 1940s to the 1950s. The United States has, in essence, always been dependent on foreign oil. Since vehicles have been running on gas, America has had a need for foreign petroleum. As time has gone on, the need has only increased as more necessities of life have begun to require the use of gas and oil. As of December 2009, the United States imported and consumed roughly 23% of the world’s oil, yet only produced 10% of its own, which equates to 19.5 millions barrels of petroleum products being used per day in America, with 12.9 million barrels being imported on a daily basis (“How dependent are”). The United States needs more oil than it can produce on its own, or is willing to produce. A large portion, almost half, of America’s oil imports comes from the Western Hemisphere. These imports are still considered foreign, but they are with countries and nations that America is on stable, positive terms with. However, there are countries like Iraq where tensions have strengthened, making it an uncomfortable claim to need to be dependent on their oil. After Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, a reckless move done on his behalf to control more of the world’s oil reserves, half a million American troops had to be employed to ensure that the United States still had access to petroleum (Deutch, 2007). The United States has put itself in a place of not only being dependent on a foreign country for oil, but having to force itself to be this dependent. It is because of the aforementioned situation, as well as similar ones, that has put the United States in the predicament that it is currently in - being unwilling dependent of foreign countries for our oil. As long as the United States government has to force themselves into a country or a situation to obtain the oil that it is dependent on, the nation is going to face problems. Therefore, alternative methods of obtaining oil need to be taken into consideration. Solution As previously stated, the one solution to get the United States to be less dependent on foreign oil is to get it to be more dependent on its own oil, as well as its alternative energy methods. Not only would this independence help the United States stray from problems that may be caused by foreign countries, but it will bring about a greater feeling of independence if the United States is no longer dependent on other countries for its resources. Drilling elsewhere, preferably within the United States, would greatly decrease the dependency that the nation has on foreign oil. However, as previously mentioned, if it had been as simple as this, perhaps there would never have been a need to depend on foreign importing to obtain petroleum to begin with. Clearly these places are few and far between in the United States. Fortunately, within the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, a wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, there consists an estimated sixteen billion barrels of recoverable crude oil and natural gas liquids (Roderick, 1997). By drilling this oil, the United States would be able to lessen its dependency on foreign oil, which would take us out of a situation that is currently going downhill. It would provide the United States with the oil that it greatly needs, or it can act as an exporting agent. Even though this amount of oil will eventually run out if it becomes all that the nation depends on, it will still allow for independence for long enough until other methods become available or importing becomes less risky. There is enough natural gas available to the United States to last over one hundred years, and this is a modest estimate (Jackson, 2009). The United States is one of the few countries that does not make use of its abundance of natural gas; the other countries that do rely very little on foreign oil for importing, and this has been a successful undertaking. The shale rock reservoirs, the numerous locations across the United States that contain the resources for natural gas, would supply the United States with enough natural gas to help make the nation independent in regard to oil. This natural gas can be altered to be used in not just cars, but in other appliances that involve gas or oil. Lessening our dependency on crude oil itself may seem like an impossibility, but it is a reality that has been in the making for a few years now, with the invention of electric or hybrid cars, which run on both gas and sunlight. Other household appliances have also been altered to include electric options, such as water heaters and stoves, which lessens the use of gas in an individual household. As our dependency on foreign oil increases, so does the production of vehicles and appliances that no longer require oil. Furthermore, it is good for our environment to release as little gas as we can. Combined with the first two alternatives, the United States could easily become independent on their gas and oil supply. Pros As previously stated, drilling for the oil that is beneath the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve would drastically decrease our dependency on foreign oil. A large portion of the land is federal turf (McBeath, 2008), and therefore we are entitled to drill there and make use of the oil. Tensions between foreign nations would be able to decrease, and we would not have to consider the what-ifs if one of our foreign dependencies would suddenly deny us access to the oil that we have been receiving from them for decades. Sadly, in this day and age, hanging a need of a nation over their heads is becoming increasingly popular. By drilling at the Reserve, this is a potential problem that we can avoid. It can also help to increase the feelings of independence and ability that the United States feels. Besides supplying the United States for over one hundred years with oil and gas, another perk of natural gas is that it produces less greenhouse gases when it is burned as compared to oil or electricity (Roehm, 2010). This further lessens the rate at which global warming appears to be increasing. As it is environmentally friendly, we can increase the length of life on this earth, including our own. Not only is natural gas environmentally friendly and cheaper, but it is also a great method that would allow the United States to become independent with gas and oil. If only for one hundred years, the United States could make do with this gas and oil alternative while it finds other methods to implement, and a lot can happen in one hundred years. The upside to implementing electric or solar powered vehicles or appliances into our lives is that we decrease how much oil and gas we need from foreign sources and make use of other sources that have long since been there, such as the sun. Furthermore, we also decrease the amount of harmful chemicals that we release into to the atmosphere on a daily basis, such as emissions from the gas and exhaust of our gas-hungry vehicles. Again, not only does this alternative method decrease our dependency on foreign oil imports, but it helps to sustain the environment and the lives of the people, plants, and creatures that live within it. If we can lessen how much gas we use in our vehicles and appliances, it would not be too difficult to lessen our dependency on foreign oil entirely. Cons Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve may seem like the perfect solution to overcoming the United States dependency on foreign oil imports. Billions of barrels of oil beneath the surface, just waiting for the United States to put it to good use. Unfortunately, it is not as simple as that, otherwise we would have benefited from our oil jackpot decades ago. As the wildlife reserve is just that - a wildlife reserve - many people have been reluctant to drill on that land, afraid to destroy the natural beauty of the location. The other side of this argument consists of people that do understand the position of those defending the Reserve, but claim that the nation is in more need of a non-foreign oil source than natural beauty. They continue the argument by stating that out of the 19,286,482 acres of the Reserve, only a couple of acres would need to be used to drill for oil (Standlea, 2005). Much of the beautiful territory of the Reserve would not be harmed by this expenditure, nor would any wildlife be put at risk. Much to the displeasure of the United States government, there are enough wildlife and environmental activists behind the reserving of the Reserve to keep drilling oil just an abstract thought. As useful as natural gases would be to the United States, the only unfortunate aspect is that as a natural resource it will eventually run out (Tabak, 2009). The United States might be able to be independent for over one hundred years or so, but after that we are back to where we started - being dependent on someone else. Granted, the same holds for foreign oil imports, and even the drilling of our own oil. These resources are finite and they will eventually come to an end. Our generation and perhaps that one after will be able to make use of natural gas for gas and oil use, but people afterwards will still have to find an alternative method of one has not been thought up in the meantime. The only downside about lessening our need for gas and oil is the cost. While hybrid and electric cars are amazing and useful inventions, they tend to be pricier than regular gas vehicles, though they do essentially pay the difference of themselves by how little gas the buyer is required to purchase to keep their vehicle running (Aldrich, 1997). Furthermore, not all desired car brands and models are available as hybrids or electric, which tends to play a role when it comes to car buying for individuals. More and more brands and models of electric and hybrid vehicles are coming out, such as SUVs and trucks, but there are still some brands that are favorites with consumers. Electric appliances are also more expensive and, at times, more difficult to maintain. Conclusion The dependency that the United States has on foreign oil imports is increasingly becoming a problem not only in our country but in the countries that are supplying us this oil - some of which do not have a choice of whether or not they share their oil with us. As the world becomes more prone to war as we face financial and moralistic crises with other countries, we realize that we need to find alternative methods to obtaining oil. One of the best solutions to this problem is to make use of the alternative methods that have been available to our nation for quite some time know, though either going unnoticed or not realizing the extent at which these methods can help the nation. Some of these alternative methods to this solution would be to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, make use of our abundant supply of natural gas that exist in the shale rock reservoirs throughout the nation, or attempt to lessen our dependency on oil in general, which would become greatly beneficial as our two other options begin to run dry. Though pros and cons were listed in regard to these alternative methods, it must be realized that every plan is going to have a flaw. Fortunately, the flaws in these alternatives do not make it impossible to become independent with our own oil. Though they may last us only one hundred years, if not a little more if we combine all of the alternative methods, it will still buy us enough time to figure out other alternative methods to our oil problem. By realizing that we, as a united country, have the ability to be entirely independent on ourselves, we can obtain or implement these alternative methods to ensure that we do not have to risk the safety of our nation and its people by importing through foreign means. Works Cited Aldrich, Bob. ABC's of Afv's: A Guide to Alternative Fuel Vehicles. 1995. Reprint. New York: Diane Pub Co, 1997. Print. Deutch, John . National Security Consequences of Us Oil Dependency. New York: Council On Foreign Relations, 2007. Print. "How dependent are we on foreign oil?." U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis. US Energy Information Administration, 10 Dec. 2009. Web. 2 Oct. 2010. . Jackson, Liam. "Gas Instead of Oil: Is Natural Gas the Future of Energy?" Socyberty - Society on the Web. N.p., 8 Jan. 2009. Web. 6 Oct. 2010. . Klare, Michael T. Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America's Growing Dependency on Imported Petroleum. New York: Metropolitan Books, 2010. Print. McBeath, Jerry. The Political Economy of Oil in Alaska: Multinationals vs. the State. Boulder : Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc., 2008. Print. Roderick, Jack. Crude Dreams: A Personal History of Oil in Alaska. Fairbanks: Epicenter Press, 1997. Print. Roehm, Charlotte. Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Fluxes and Processes: Hydroelectric Reservoirs and Natural Environments (Environmental Science and Engineering / Environmental Science). 1st Edition. ed. New York: Springer, 2010. Print. Standlea, David M.. Oil, Globalization, And the War for the Arctic Refuge. Albany, New York: State University Of New York Press, 2005. Print. Tabak, John. Natural Gas and Hydrogen (Energy and the Environment). 1 ed. New York: Facts on File, 2009. Print. Read More