25th Anniversary of the 1973 Oil Embargo

The Energy Information Administration

Table of Contents

Energy Information Administration

Major Disruptions of.World Oil Supply

Imported Oil as a Percent of Total U. S. Consumption

Percent of OPEC and Persian Gulf World Oil Production

U. S. Retail Price of Gasoline

U.S. Crude Oil Prices

U. S. Natural Gas Prices

U. S. Total Petroleum Consumption

U. S. Per Capita Use of Petroleum

U. S. Government Owned Crude Oil Stocks

Cost of Finding .Oil and Gas Reserves

U. S. MPG Ratings for New Vehicles

U. S. Average Horsepower of a New Vehicle

Share of U. S. .Homes Heated With Oil

Share of U. S. Electricity Generated By Petroleum

U. S. Crude Oil Reserves

U. S. Natural Gas Reserves

Futures And Options Markets Changed Energy Marketing

U. S. Total Energy Consumption

Annual Growth in U.S..Total Energy Use

U. S. Per Capita Use of Energy

Share of U. S. World Energy Consumption

U.S. Primary Energy Consumption per Dollar of GDP

Share of U. S. Renewable Energy Consumption

U. S. Retail Price of Electricity

Percent of U. S. New Homes Built with Natural Gas Heat

Efficiency of an Average New Refrigerator in the United States

Share of U.S. Net Electric Utility Generation by Energy Source

U. S. Air Pollution

U.S. Carbon Emissions

U. S. Carbon .Emissions by Sector

Administrator's Message

This marks the 25th anniversary of the energy crisis of 1973, in some ways the most pivotal year in energy history. Anniversaries are often a time of reflection. In this spirit, the Energy Information Administration presents here 30 major energy trends in the United States over this period. Taken as a whole, these measures provide a picture of how this country has responded to the crisis a quarter century ago. Through 1972, Americans had become accustomed to expanding energy consumption with minimal concerns about the constancy of supply or sharp price escalations. In 1973, however, expectations about energy supply changed dramatically. The turmoil started early in 1973, as customers experienced electricity brown outs and rapidly rising prices for fuels and other necessities. Price controls and allocation systems not only failed to resolve these problems, they seemed to aggravate them. Most memorably, October brought an oil embargo by members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, cutting further into the supply of oil and elevating prices to levels previously thought impossible. Customers experienced lines and sometimes no fuel at gasoline stations. A year of bad news was punctuated in December, when the President announced that because of the energy crisis the lights on the national Christmas tree would not be turned on. Throughout the year, energy stayed at the forefront of public attention. Interruptions in energy supplies were also closely related to other issues of national importance-a weakening of the economy and a reassessment of America's strategic position in the world. The purpose of this presentation is not to assess the causes of the 1973 energy crisis or the measures that were adopted to resolve it. Our intent is to present some data on which such analyses can be based. Those interested in a fuller set of statistics are urged to consult our recently published Annual Energy Review (Web Site address: http://www.eia.gov/emeu/aer/contents.html ). Many of the trends presented here fall into two distinct periods. From 1973 to the mid-1980's, prices continued at very high levels, in part because of a second oil shock in 1979-80. During this period, rapid progress was made in raising American oil production, reducing dependence on oil imports, and improving end-use efficiency. After the oil price collapse of the mid-1980's, however, prices retreated to more moderate levels, the pace of efficiency gains slowed, American oil production fell, and the share of imports rose. We hope that the marking of this anniversary will stimulate a lively dialogue on energy issues and that the data presented here will contribute to that discussion.

Contacts:
Email: Cal.Kilgore@eia.doe.gov
Email: John.Pearson@eia.doe.gov
Email: Henry.Weigel@eia.doe.gov

Home Page: http://www.eia.gov