Currently, the U.S. is dangerously energy-dependent. 

• Energy dependency. Greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, national security, and energy dependence are all intertwined.
  

  Imported oil. The U.S. represents only 4.6% of the world population, but it uses 25% of the world’s oil. It has less than 3% of the world’s oil reserves, and it imports over 60% of its oil and gas from other countries - many controlled by unstable and/or undemocratic regimes.
  
  Burning fossil fuels produces the greenhouse gas emissions (like CO2) that contribute to global warming and climate change. Globally, the U.S. is second only to China in its emissions of CO2.
  
  Setting long-term targets for greenhouse gas reduction and building capacity for renewable energy is essential to national security.
  
  Terrorism. Imported energy increases the risks of terrorism. More than 60% of oil and gas reserves lie in conflict-ridden areas of the Middle East and Central Asia. Terrorist networks and hostile regimes often benefit from selling these resources.
  

• Energy scarcity. Fossil fuels are limited natural resources, and oil and gas will soon become much more difficult to obtain.
  

  Peak Oil. Many argue that global petroleum production and the supply of comparatively cheap, available oil will soon peak and then decline – and some believe it has happened already.
  
  After the turning point of peak oil, remaining reserves will be difficult to reach and expensive to extract (from tar sands, oil shale, etc.). The result will be heavier oils that are harder to process. Costs of oil production, transportation, and securing these networks are all expected to increase.
  
  No matter where the oil comes from, burning fossil fuels still produces greenhouse gases. Increasing domestic oil production by drilling in formerly restricted areas only puts off the moment of reckoning, destroys precious national treasures, and contributes to climate change.
  
  More than oil. Petroleum products (petrochemicals) provide the basis for many critical products in the U.S. economy, such as plastics, agricultural chemicals, and medical technologies.
  
  Global conflict. As fossil fuels become more limited, there will be more foreign policy confrontations – such as the debates looming over Arctic exploration - as countries like Russia, Canada, and the United States fight to lay claim to oil reserves revealed by the rapidly melting ice sheets.
  
  Control over emerging shipping lanes – and new international transit routes that could threaten U.S. national security - will become an issue as well.
  
  

• Vulnerable energy networks. Much of the U.S. energy infrastructure is aging and vulnerable to disruption by extreme weather or terrorist attacks.
  The U.S. is dependent on electricity transmitted through the national grid, as well as pipelines that carry liquid fuel. Many coal-burning power plants must import their coal supplies over hundreds of miles of railroad tracks.