Heading into the 1970’s, the United States was in an gasoline consuming mania. With the formation of the National Highway Association, more people were travelling across the country, commuting longer to work, and owning more than one car per household. During the 1950’s alone, oil consumption by Americans rose over fifty percent (Verrastro and Caruso). Moving into the 1970’s, crude oil production was big, but the demand was even larger. Following the start of the Yom Kippur war in the Middle East, many Middle Eastern countries declared an embargo on the United States, cutting all crude oil exports. During this embargo, oil prices soared as foreign production was slashed, and many gas stations were unable to provide for America’s colossal
…show more content…
To reduce the need on crude oil imports, America began to emphasize the need for domestic oil production so that if the OAPEC were to cut imports into the country, America would not be as impacted. Following President Nixon’s resignation, President Carter promised to do just that. He worked to reduce America's oil consuming habits by passing a series of bills, many of them involving the creation and research into renewable energy resources ("The 1970's Oil Crisis"). In 1975, almost two years after the end of the embargo, America passed a law requiring new cars to have at least 27 miles per gallon on fuel efficiency in cars, raising the miles per gallon from 13.5 (Myre). This made it so that new cars were able to be more efficient on gasoline and helped Americans to be more efficient in their driving habits. He also worked to increase the development of renewable energy sources so that Americans would reduce their carbon footprint. In addition to the initiatives that he implemented, Carter also worked to be a role model for the country in sustainability by installing solar panels on the White House and calling on the nation to think of their children when consuming products that generate to global warming. “We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to have a decent world for our children and grandchildren.” (Carter 418-420). He helped to complete this by setting a limit percent of oil that could be used to generate electricity. Following the Oil Embargo, America began to think about their actions and tried to lessen the burden that climate change would have on future
To reduce the need on crude oil imports, America began to emphasize the need for domestic oil production so that if the OAPEC were to cut imports into the country, America would not be as impacted. Following President Nixon’s resignation, President Carter promised to do just that. He worked to reduce America's oil consuming habits by passing a series of bills, many of them involving the creation and research into renewable energy resources ("The 1970's Oil Crisis"). In 1975, almost two years after the end of the embargo, America passed a law requiring new cars to have at least 27 miles per gallon on fuel efficiency in cars, raising the miles per gallon from 13.5 (Myre). This made it so that new cars were able to be more efficient on gasoline and helped Americans to be more efficient in their driving habits. He also worked to increase the development of renewable energy sources so that Americans would reduce their carbon footprint. In addition to the initiatives that he implemented, Carter also worked to be a role model for the country in sustainability by installing solar panels on the White House and calling on the nation to think of their children when consuming products that generate to global warming. “We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to have a decent world for our children and grandchildren.” (Carter 418-420). He helped to complete this by setting a limit percent of oil that could be used to generate electricity. Following the Oil Embargo, America began to think about their actions and tried to lessen the burden that climate change would have on future