Some Comments on Our Energy Problems

Abstract

According to recent polls, the past severe winter seems finally to have convinced a majority of Americans that there really are serious energy problems. They also seem to be convinced that something must be done and may even be prepared to take some conservation measures that do not come naturally. In retrospect, while the Arab oil embargo prepared the way for this change in public opinion, too many believed that this was just a temporary crisis, soon to pass completely. As a good many people have said for several years, the quickest and most effective action is conservation. Whether the American public or the Congress will be enthusiastic about the effects of vigorous conservation remains to be seen.