America uses 20% of the World's energy total.  98 Quads (quadrillion BTU’s) is approximately 30 Petawatt hours (10¹⁵) or 108 Exajoules (10¹⁸). (That’s almost enough to run my new Philips LED light bulb until it burns out. J). 

Most of the energy is domestically produced, but for the past 60 years we have been importing oil to run our cars and trucks and a few of our power plants. As a result the price of oil on international markets has come to determine American economic growth more surely than any other indicator. 

The U.S. has been trying to achieve “Energy Independence” for over 4 decades, since the first OPEC embargo. Government actions on energy have been mixed. Regulation and environmental concerns have delayed development of resources. However under Obama, domestic production has grown and demand has dropped to the point that the net oil imports are 7.8 million barrels per day which is lower than they have been since 1993. Almost half of U.S. oil imports are from Canada and Mexico. Domestic natural gas production exceeds consumption.  Coal use dropped. 

Oil imports cost about $250 billion; coal exports produced about $15 billion.  Since 70% of oil use is for transportation improving automobile fuel efficiency is one of the most effective measures possible towards achieving energy independence. Switching to electric cars and natural gas powered trucks as advocated by T. Boone Pickens would guarantee energy independence for centuries.

Concerns about global warming have provided yet another battleground between science and politics and another legislative stalemate. Renewables get a lot of attention but have delivered little. Improving the nation’s electric transmission grid could improve efficiency and open generation opportunities in remote areas. A surplus of natural gas developed in the late 2000’s has reduced dependency on coal and CO2 emissions. Conservation efforts like automotive MPG (CAFÉ) and advanced lighting are opposed by conservatives although the current standards could end foreign dependency if the 54.5 mpg standard agreed to by Obama and the major manufacturers in Jan 2011 is achieved by 2035. Liberals, expressing concerns for the environment, oppose production efforts like offshore drilling, frakking, pipelines and nuclear power.