WHY AN ENERGY 'CRUNCH' IS COMING

The people of the United States are the ENERGY GLUTTONS of the world. Only about 6 percent of the world's people live in the United States; yet, we use one-third of the energy consumed in the world! And, per capita energy consumption, as well as gross consumption, continues to climb year after year.

Such gluttony is relatively new. It is primarily a pattern of consumption that started only a little over 125 years ago. It is a product of our industrialization and of extreme technological growth.

Until the middle of the last century, energy consumption in the United States followed patterns found in the rest of the emerging industrial nations. Animal power -including human muscle-power - wind, water and wood were the chief sources of energy.

After 1850, the industrializing countries began to use coal on an ever-increasing basis. From 1860 on, uses were being found for crude oil and for natural gas.

For a complex set of social, economic and political reasons, the process of using fossil fuels proceeded far faster in the U. S. than elsewhere in the world.

Looking back, one sees a truly astounding rate of growth in the use of these fossil fuels. Coal represented only 10% of the fuel burned in 1850; wood accounted for 90%. Coal consumption increased 300 percent (!) from 1850 to 1860. By 1885, the use of coal exceeded that for wood - enormous growth in only 35 years. Railroads and the steel industry both used coal extensively.

The first oil company in the U. S., the Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company, was formed in 1854 by a small group of investors. Their first well was drilled in 1859 and they struck oil at a depth of only sixty-nine feet. (A depth that would gladden the heart of any modern oil-seeker.)

Kerosine (sometimes spelled kerosene) was derived from the crude oil and was used as a lamp fuel. Production and consumption of oil rose rapidly: 500,000 gallons in 1860; 1.7 million gallons in 1865; and, over 2 million gallons by 1870. Most of the early consumption was in the form of kerosine, but other products such as lubricants, fuel oil and gasoline found markets as the 20th century drew near.

Just over 4,000 autos had been built in the U. S. prior to 1900. Henry Ford's mass-production techniques soon changed that. As thousands of cars per year began rolling off the assembly lines, gasoline consumption increased dramatically.

A veritable 'Pandora's Box' of technology developed in the closing years of the 19th and in the early years of the 20th century: Edison invented the electric light bulb, and - of even greater importance - built the first electric power-generating station and distribution system (in New York City). Hydroelectric power came into being.

Innumerable electric 'labor saving' devices appeared on the market (skillets, toasters, roasters, hot-plates, ovens, heaters, grinders, etc.). Agriculture started its march toward mechanization. Central heating and cooling came into use for homes, buildings and other types of structures.

All of this technological growth demanded fuel. The fossil fuels -- coal, petroleum and natural gas were developed to meet the rising demands. And, the oil companies were out developing new markets at every opportunity.

By 1918, coal production had reached 400 million tons per year. It stayed roughly at that level until recently, when production began climbing again. A rather steep increase in coal production, perhaps as high as 13% per year, is forecast by some observers for the next few years.

Oil accounted for 40 percent of the energy used in the U. S. in 1965. This was the culmination of great growth, since oil production was less than one-sixth that for coal in 1918, and only about half that for coal as late as 1930. Other energy use percentages in 1965 were: natural gas, 30 percent; coal, 23 percent; hydroelectric power (once an important source), about 4 percent. Other fuels accounted for the balance.

Oil's number one position as an energy source in our country today is due to its use in transportation, for heating and cooling, on the farm and to produce electricity.

Our use of energy has been DOUBLING about every ten years. The tremendous growth in energy use has forced us to import vast amounts of energy, now more than half of all of the energy we use. Paying for the imported energy has caused large balance of payments deficits, which in turn has caused the value of the dollar to drop on the international money market, and it has been an important factor in rampant inflation here at home.

We are headed for energy shortages and economic woes of unthinkable magnitudes unless energy use growth is brought under control.

As with population growth, energy use growth will stop. There is no question of that; nothing in this world grows indefinitely. Strong evidence such as fewer discoveries of new reserves and declining existing reserves suggests we may be nearing that time when - if we humans do not stop the growth - natural NO-GROWTH processes will stop it.

As a conservative, in the broadest sense of that term, I believe it would be better for humans to curb growth in orderly, sensible ways than, to have nature do it in ways that will surely result in social and economic catastrophes.