Energy Conservation
Energy conservation was a concept largely unfamiliar to America—and to much of the rest of the world—prior to 1973. Certainly some thinkers prior to that date thought about, wrote about, and advocated a more judicious use of the world's energy supplies. But in a practical sense, it seemed that the world's supply of coal, oil, and natural gas was virtually unlimited.
In 1973, however, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) placed an arbitrary limit on the amount of petroleum that non-producing nations could buy from them. Although the OPEC embargo lasted only a short time, the nations of the world were suddenly forced to consider the possibility that they might have to survive on a reduced and ultimately finite supply of the fossil fuels.
In the United States, the OPEC embargo set off a flurry of administrative and legislative activity, designed to ensure a dependable supply of energy for the nation's further needs. Out of this activity came acts such as the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1976, the Energy Conservation and Production Act of 1976, and the National Energy Act of 1978.
An important feature of the nation's (and the world's) new outlook on energy was the realization of how much energy is wasted in transportation, residential and commercial buildings, and industry.
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