Energy Supply and Demand

When the first domestic coal was mined in the late 1770s and the first oil wells were drilled in the mid-1800s, it seemed that the United States had an endless supply of cheap energy. But machines replaced hand tools, and cars replaced horses. Cities and industries grew, and consumption of oil and oil products increased. By the 1970s the United States was consuming more oil than it was producing. The country became dependent on foreign oil.