We are a nation known for independence, with a history of fighting for national and personal freedoms. Yet, we are clearly dependent on the world to enjoy our life in the fast lane.

We currently import 58 percent of all oil consumed in the United States, and that number is going up, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Much of it comes from members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The EPA says that price spikes and manipulation by OPEC cost our economy about $7 trillion between 1979 and 2000, with each major price shock being followed by a recession. It might not be a bad idea to ease our dependence on these guys…

And over the last two years, as any driver well knows, elevated gas prices have hit Americans at the pump. Collectively, we are spending $500,000 a minute for oil imports, according to the Consumer Federation of America (CFA). The Senate recently passed a bill to raise average fuel economy to 35 mpg by 2020. However, together, we can reduce the national fuel consumption today.

In a previous blog post, we touched on the savings if we conserved just one gallon a month. Most drivers could do that with limited compromise. Let’s take the exercise further: If each motorist saved four gallons a month, we couldn’t eliminate imports from OPEC, but we could reduce our consumption by almost 10.5 billion gallons of gasoline annually. To put that in perspective, that would be enough to reduce our oil imports from either Venezuela or Saudi Arabia by half, and it translates into more oil than we have imported from Iraq in any given year since 2000.

The chart below shows a few other “What if?” scenarios that illustrate how much gasoline conservation would be needed from each motorist to eliminate imports from specific countries.

How drivers can make a global impact

Source for oil imports: Energy Information Administration, 2005 data

Every motorist can make a difference. Just look at the numbers…

--Jim Travers and Jeff Bartlett