Energy Independence: A Timeline of Political Rhetoric

April 19, 2012

“[S]tand with the big oil companies, or . . . stand with the American people.”

                                                            President Obama, March 29, 2012

Obama’s rhetoric pits the American people against big oil but they go hand in hand. Every American is dependent on the products that oil provides. Fossil fuels have made us more prosperous than any other technological advance. Yet every President in recent memory has chimed the need to be energy independent. None have been successful. U.S. oil imports continue to rise, typically only declining during periods of recession. Though global proved reserves are increasing, U.S. proved reserves are a small and declining portion. That is all the more reason to be oil intradependent. It makes no sense to diminish our own supply when there is a world of available resources.