The economy of the United States is a petroleum-based economy. Recent studies of energy-use patterns in the U.S. have shown that more than 70 percent of the energy consumed in this country is derived from oil and natural gas. The U.S. consumed an average of about 17 million barrels or oil per day during 1976, derived mostly from domestic production but supplemented in increasing amounts by imported oil. At one point in 1976, imports supplied 50 percent of our petroleum needs, and during the forth quarter of 1976 imports consistently furnished more than 40 percent of our needs. There is concern about the effect of our growing dependence on foreign sources of oil on our national security, both from a defense posture and economic stability owing to the large balance of payments deficit caused chiefly by oil imports. About 9 million barrels per day of petroleum products and natural gas liquid was consumed by the transportation sector alone in 1975; this exceeds out present domestic production of crude oil by about one million barrels per day. Considerable savings can be made in energy consumption in this as well as in other energy-use sectors through proper conservation measures.