50 Years After Oil Embargo Disaster Of 1973, No American Coverage For Power Independence – OpEd

America continues to extend its vitality dependence on China for “inexperienced”, and on OPEC and Russia for oil.

The oil embargo of 1973 imposed by the Group of Petroleum Exporting International locations (OPEC) and different Arab oil-producing nations was imposed in response to the USA’ help of Israel in the course of the Yom Kippur Battle.

The embargo led to a pointy improve in oil costs and a scarcity of fuels for the army, airways, ships, and autos in the USA and different international locations, in addition to a scarcity of merchandise from oil.

Few could bear in mind the lengthy strains at gasoline stations which have been one of the vital seen results of the oil embargo. In some circumstances, folks waited for hours to refill their tanks. The scarcity of oil additionally led to cost will increase, and many individuals have been pressured to make sacrifices to preserve gasoline.

The oil embargo of 1973 was a serious occasion within the historical past of the USA.  It led to a recession in the USA and different international locations. It additionally led to ideas of a wanted vitality coverage in the USA. America started to develop different sources for oil and for electrical energy, akin to photo voltaic and wind energy.

President Richard Nixon performed a key function within the building of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which carries oil from Prudhoe Bay on Alaska’s North Slope to the port of Valdez. Nixon signed the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act into legislation in 1973, and he labored to beat environmental and political opposition to the challenge. The pipeline started working in 1977 and has since transported greater than 15 billion barrels of oil.

President Richard Nixon gave a speech on America’s vitality coverage on November 7, 1973, by which he outlined his plans to cut back nationwide vitality consumption and known as on U.S. residents to observe his lead in reaching vitality independence. In his speech, Nixon acknowledged that the USA was dealing with an oil disaster for the American economic system’s calls for for fuels, and the merchandise which are based mostly on crude oil, and he blamed the disaster on a number of components, together with the Arab oil embargo, the expansion of the U.S. economic system, and the nation’s continued reliance on overseas oil.

Now, 50 years later, not one of the administrations that adopted Nixon have accomplished something to determine a coverage for America’s vitality independence from one other embargo catastrophe. We’re speaking a few 50-year span of administrations from Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush, Jr., Obama, Trump, and now Biden.

As World Battle I and II historians Russia, China, and OPEC know, the nation that controls the minerals, crude oil, and pure gasoline, controls the world!  All of them know there isn’t any substitute for fossil gasoline product dominance within the foreseeable future, even on a longer-term horizon. To consider a transition to only electrical energy from renewables is feasible from the merchandise manufactured from fossil fuels and act accordingly is suicidal for humanity. As former Congressman Don Ritter of Pennsylvania wrote  It’s the true “existential menace.

At the moment, President Biden and California Governor Newsom stay oblivious to the truth that wind and photo voltaic solely generate electrical energy. Neither Biden or Newsom can determine one product that wind and photo voltaic can manufacture for mankind. And worse, neither has a backup plan to interchange all of the merchandise and fuels which are based mostly on oil!

Biden is campaigning to rid America of oil, and Newsom, by frequently reducing California’s in-state oil manufacturing, Newsom’s private vitality insurance policies proceed to pressure California, the 4th largest economic system on the earth, to be the one state in contiguous America that imports most of its crude oil vitality from overseas international locations. That dependence, through maritime transportation from overseas nations for the state’s crude oil vitality calls for, has elevated imported crude oil from 5 % in 1992 to nearly 60 % at present of complete consumption. California’s rising dependency on different nations, like Saudi Aramco is a critical nationwide safety threat for America.

At the moment, each Biden and Newsom marketing campaign to go inexperienced with EV’s, and wind and photo voltaic for electrical energy technology. By way of the encouragement of tax incentives and subsidies to go inexperienced, they’re offering monetary incentives to China, who already controls the availability chain for the minerals and metals to go inexperienced, furthering our complete dependence on China to realize the inexperienced targets of America.

Within the Nineteen Seventies, Nixon additionally took steps to extend home vitality manufacturing. He opened extra federal lands to grease and gasoline drilling, and he inspired the event of latest sources for electrical energy, akin to photo voltaic and nuclear energy. He additionally created the Power Analysis and Growth Administration (ERDA), which was accountable for researching and growing new vitality applied sciences.

Nixon’s vitality insurance policies weren’t with out their critics. Some argued that his insurance policies have been too targeted on conservation and never sufficient on manufacturing. Others argued that his insurance policies have been too costly and that they’d hurt the economic system. Nonetheless, Nixon’s vitality insurance policies have been usually profitable in serving to the USA to climate the vitality disaster of the Nineteen Seventies.

Here’s a listing of a few of President Nixon’s vitality successes within the Nineteen Seventies:

  • Opening extra federal lands to grease and gasoline drilling
  • Created the Environmental Safety Company (EPA) in 1970
  • Created the Occupational Security and Well being Administration (OSHA) in 1970
  • Created the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1970
  • Created the USA Client Product Security Fee (CPSC) in 1972
  • Signing the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act into legislation in 1973
  • Creating the Power Analysis and Growth Administration (ERDA) in 1974
  • Passage of the Power Coverage and Conservation Act of 1975

These Nineteen Seventies companies have been created in response to a number of challenges dealing with the USA on the time, together with environmental air pollution, occupational security and well being hazards, and shopper product security. The creation of these companies helped to enhance the standard of life for Individuals and to guard the surroundings.

At the moment, America is providing tax incentives and subsidies to go inexperienced at any price, and implementing insurance policies to rid the nation of oil with no backup plan for a provide chain of merchandise from oil which are the idea of the economic system. As an alternative of reaching vitality independence, America continues to extend its dependence on China for “inexperienced”, and Russia and OPEC for oil merchandise demanded by our economic system.

With no coverage for vitality independence, God assist America!