(New York Times) Thomas L. Friedman - America's rising energy efficiency, renewable energy, hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling are making us much less dependent on the Middle East for oil and gas. The Middle East has gone from an addiction to a distraction. "We now use 60% less energy per unit of GDP than we did in 1973," explained energy economist Philip Verleger. "If the trend continues, we will use half the energy per unit of GDP in 2020 that we used in 2012." In 2006, the U.S. depended on foreign oil for 60% of its consumption. Today it's about 36%. This explains why Obama's foreign policy is mostly "nudging" and whispering. It won't make much history, but it's probably the best we can do or afford right now. And it's certainly all that most Americans want.
2013-08-30 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive