This 2017 Edition of the Index of U.S. Energy Security Risk is the first that we are releasing as the Chamber’s Global Energy Institute. GEI’s original incarnation, the Institute for 21st Century Energy, was formed in 2007 at a time when gasoline prices were at an all-time high, America’s dependence on foreign oil was growing, and our energy security was worsening alarmingly. Today, the situation is much different, which is reflected in our new name. American energy has changed our economy, and now it will change the world’s.
The vast improvement in U.S. energy fortunes—from scarcity to abundance—over the last 10 years is one of the most remarkable turn of events in the energy space in decades. Since 2010, we have captured these tectonic changes in our U.S. Index, and the conclusion is inescapable: America is on an energy roll, and it shows no signs of slowing down.
Highlights
The total U.S. energy security risk score in 2016 fell 1.2 points to 76.0. This is the fifth consecutive annual decline. The 2016 score is the fourth lowest since 1970, and U.S. energy security risks are now at their lowest level since 1995. Projections indicate that risks will rise slightly but stay below 80 through 2040, an extraordinarily low level compared to those of previous forecasts.
This 2017 edition of the Index of U.S. Energy Security Risk (U.S. Index) includes the most recent energy data available, including AEO 2017 projections, to provide an up-to-date assessment of those energy supply and energy use metrics having the greatest impact on energy security over the past year. The U.S. Index is based on a combination of 37 different energy security metrics beginning in 1970 and ending in 2040.
