Energy Security facts

This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) analyzes U.S. energy insecurity, focusing on the risks associated with oil dependence and the potential for energy efficiency to mitigate these threats. Using data primarily from the 2001 EIA Annual Energy Review, the document details the sources and uses of U.S. oil, the economic and security costs of dependence on OPEC and the Persian Gulf, and the technical potential for reducing oil consumption through vehicle efficiency and alternative fuels.

• The United States faces ten primary forms of energy insecurity, including reliance on oil imports from unstable regions, volatile world oil prices, and the use of U.S. oil payments by other countries to fund terrorism or buy destabilizing weapons.
• In 2000, 53% of the U.S. oil supply came from net imports, with 52% of those imports originating in the Western Hemisphere and 24% from the Persian Gulf. Half of all net oil imports and 28% of total oil consumption came from OPEC countries.
• Transportation accounts for 68% of U.S. oil use, and this sector is 97% fueled by oil. Within transportation, light vehicles (cars, pickups, vans, and SUVs) use 62.9% of the oil, which is equivalent to the total oil produced by Saudi Arabia.
• U.S. energy productivity (GDP per unit of energy used) rose by 64% between 1975 and 2000, primarily due to smarter technologies. This gain acted as a new energy source equivalent to 2.8 times net oil imports or 11.6 times net imports from the Persian Gulf.
• A 3.25-mpg improvement in the 2000 U.S. light-vehicle fleet would have saved as much oil as was imported net from the Persian Gulf (2.483 million bbl/d). Such improvements were achieved on average every 32 months during Model Years 1979–85.
• The Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System (TAPS) is described as a brittle and vulnerable piece of infrastructure that has been sabotaged and shot at over 50 times. The author argues that relying on TAPS for oil from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would prolong dependence on a system that is easier to disrupt than the Strait of Hormuz.

APA

LOVINS, A. B. (2003). Energy Security facts. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_S03-04_USESFbooklet.pdf

Chicago

LOVINS, AMORY B. Energy Security facts. RMI, 2003. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_S03-04_USESFbooklet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=LOVINS |first1=AMORY B. |title=Energy Security facts |publisher=RMI |date=18 April 2003 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_S03-04_USESFbooklet.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lovins2003energy, author = {LOVINS, AMORY B.}, title = {{Energy Security facts}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2003}, month = apr, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_S03-04_USESFbooklet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }