Americans use more than 367 million gallons of gasoline on a daily basis, and this has forced the nation to obtain oil from other countries. Unfortunately, this reliance can cause large spikes in gasoline prices, and it has also been a driving force behind many global conflicts that the U.S. has been involved in. In order to provide the U.S. with energy independence, there has been a large emphasis placed on increasing the amount of oil well drilling that occurs throughout the country.
Oil Well Drilling Operations
One of the main hotbeds of land-based oil drilling activity is in the Gulf Coast region of Texas. As the activity continues to increase in this area, the country is provided with additional quantities of this important natural resource without having to rely on another nation. At this time, the country still consumes more oil on a daily basis than it is able to produce from land-based oil wells, but there are several new drilling projects that are currently in the beginning stages. If these projects are able to produce a large amount of oil, the country will be much closer to achieving energy independence.
How is Gasoline Utilized?
In addition to putting gasoline in cars, Americans are also using petroleum in a surprisingly long list of products that includes medications, lipstick, motor oil and lubricants. When you combine this with the fact that U.S. roads are filled with almost 240 million cars it becomes easy to understand why the country needs to take steps toward energy independence. Not only does the nation need to have enough petroleum to deal with its own needs, but it is also competing with every other gas-consuming country for the oil that is produced on a daily basis. As the need for gasoline continues to increase worldwide, the prices will steadily climb until they become unmanageable for most drivers. By producing enough oil to take care of the needs of the country, the U.S. would be able to save money, stay out of oil-related conflicts and potentially even create a new revenue source. After all, if increased drilling can provide a surplus of oil, the U.S. can become a competitor with the Middle East for the petroleum needs of other nations.
Other Steps Toward Energy Independence
Every time an American purchases a car that runs on electric power, they are reducing the country’s need for oil. Therefore, electric and hybrid cars are another step in the right direction. Even though hybrids do need gasoline to run, they are able to achieve a high enough gas mileage to have a big impact at the pumps. To achieve true energy independence, it will be just as important for Americans to embrace hybrids as it is for the Texas land-based oil drilling operations to continue to increase their production.
Is Energy Independence Within Our Reach?
The U.S. has finally begun to embrace the importance of utilizing alternative sources for energy, and this is going to play a major role in speeding up the ultimate goal of becoming a country that is able to produce all of its own oil. Although oil is not likely to be completely replaced at any point in the foreseeable future, the country can become self-reliant within the next few decades by increasing land-based oil drilling and placing a large emphasis on offering a wide selection of affordable energy efficient programs.
It is a refreshing to see a piece on “energy independence” that focuses on the real problem: oil. Since oil is really the only form of energy we import (coal, natural gas, nuclear, hydro, wind, solar, etc. are all available in large enough quantities domestically to meet our demand for those sources), any talk of “energy independence” is really talk about “oil dependence.” I’m glad to see that others on the right track.