Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
sources of energy—primarily oil, natural gas, and coal. In 1973, oil cost about $15
per barrel (in inflation-adjusted terms) and accounted for 96 percent of the energy
used in the transportation sector and 17 percent of the energy used to generate
electricity. As shown in figure 2, the 2004 U.S. energy portfolio is similar to the
1973 energy portfolio. In 2004, oil accounted for 98 percent of energy consumed
for transportation, and coal and natural gas accounted for about 71 percent of the
energy used to generate electricity. Renewable energy—primarily hydropower—
remains at 6 percent of U.S. energy consumption.
Source: GAO analysis of EIA data.
Figure 2. Comparison of the U.S. Energy Portfolio in 1973 and 2004.
However, since 1973, U.S. crude oil imports have grown from 36 percent of
consumption to 66 percent of consumption today, and crude oil prices have
jumped particularly in recent years to today's $60 per barrel level.
DOE'
S
B
UDGET
A
UTHORITY FOR
R
ENEWABLE
,
F
OSSIL
,
AND
N
UCLEAR
E
NERGY
R
AND
D
H
AS
D
ECLINED BY OVER
85
P
ERCENT IN
R
EAL
T
ERMS
S
INCE
1978
Despite growing dependence on foreign energy sources, DOE's budget
authority for renewable, fossil, and nuclear energy R and D dropped from $5.5
billion (in real terms) in fiscal year 1978 to $793 million in fiscal year 2005—a
decline of over 85 percent. As shown in figure 3, renewable, fossil, and nuclear
energy R and D budget authority each peaked in the late 1970s before falling
sharply in the 1980s. Total budget authority for the three energy R and D
programs has risen after bottoming out in fiscal year 1998.
