25. anniversary of the 1973 oil embargo: Energy trends since the first major U.S. energy crisis

The purpose of this publication is not to assess the causes of the 1973 energy crisis or the measures that were adopted to resolve it. The intent is to present some data on which such analyses can be based. 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. 30 figs