OIL: How Much to Pay the OPEC Piper?

If the 1974-75 recession conferred any small compensatory blessing on the industrialized world, it was a respite from the energy crisis. Shortages of oil gave way to a worldwide glut, and prices stabilized. But consuming countries failed to use the lull to start any significant oil-conservation programs, or to develop alternative sources of energy rapidly enough. Indeed, they have grown even more dependent on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries; the U.S., for example, now imports about 40% of its oil, v. 29% before the time of the Arab embargo in 1973....

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