An historical perspective to the Project Independence Blueprint is presented that traces the history of the various major energy sources and examines the reserves, consumption, technology, economics, and government policy towards oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear energy, electric power, and energy sources. The first two sections of the report, Historical Perspective of World Energy and U.S. Energy Perspective, deal with major trends and events influencing all energy sources. The report concentrates on the period from the end of World War II to the eve of the Arab oil embargo. Government policies which have shaped the development of energy production and consumption are stressed.

What is Project Independence? The sources and uses of energy in the United States have changed dramatically in the last several decades. As a result, in just one generation, we have shifted from a position of domestic energy abundance to a substantial and continually growing reliance on foreign energy sources. Project Independence is a wide-ranging program to evaluate this growing dependence on foreign sources of energy, and to develop positive programs to reduce our vulnerability to future oil cut-offs and price increases.

This report is an historical perspective to the Project Independence Blueprint. It was developed to serve as the background for the studies carried out as part of Project Independence. The Historical Perspective Report traces the history of the various major energy sources, concentrating on the period from the end of World War II to the eve of the Arab oil embargo. The reserves, consumption, technology, economics and government policy toward oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear energy, electric power, and energy sources are examined. The first two sections of the report, Historical Perspective of World Energy, and U. S. Energy Perspective, deal with major trends and events influencing all energy sources. Special emphasis is given to the government policies which shaped the development of energy production and consumption..