That crude-oil net import is the traditional, and is now virtually the only remaining, target left for those seeking "energy independence." Yet oil has almost nothing to do with electricity—the nearly exclusive focus of today's Executive Order aiming to scuttle the Clean Power Plan, which is entirely about electricity. A further 19.7% came from uranium, largely imported from a glutted world market but easily stockpiled and seldom mentioned by fans of "energy independence," whose central if not sole focus remains oil. But of the oil that made just 0.6% of U.S. electricity, net imports fell below one-fourth of U.S. petroleum products supplied, down from 60% a decade earlier. Has whoever titled the Executive Order "Energy Independence" invented a time machine, new arithmetic, or just a new application of smoke and mirrors?

Source: Forbes March 28, 2017 21:27 UTC