And as summer approaches, there will be increased use of cars for vacation travel, as well as increased use of electricity to power air conditioners. The price of oil could rise further, and more blackouts are expected in California, elsewhere on the country's west coast, and even in the densely populated northeastern section of the country. Shortly after he became president, Bush directed his vice president, Dick Cheney, to assemble a task force that would draw up recommendations to ease the energy shortage and ensure that U.S. consumers and industry have enough energy for their needs in the future. On 17 May, Bush released Cheney's recommendations as part of a new U.S. energy policy. Overall, its aim is to balance environmental protection with increased production of oil, natural gas, and other sources of energy.
Several recommendations focus on increasing the amount of oil from foreign producers.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, oil is the country's chief source of energy. Until the mid-1970s, the United States produced and imported oil with little trouble. But in 1974, Arab countries imposed an embargo on oil exports to states supporting Israel, with which several Arab states were still formally at war. After that embargo ended, U.S. reliance on imported oil dropped for about a decade. Imports reached a low of 4.3 million barrels a day in 1985, or nearly 30 percent of U.S. petroleum consumption, according to the Energy Department.