U.S. energy security and the need for greater energy independence is one of the most important issues facing the United States today. Failure to address the U.S.’s energy dependence has undermined foreign policy, increased threats to national security, and created an inflexible hydrocarbon dependent economy. In 2010 the Energy Information Administration reported that U.S petroleum consumption had reached an average of 19.15 million barrels per day.[1] More importantly, 49 percent of daily consumption is imported and this creates an energy dependency that cannot be presently avoided. Dependence on foreign oil imports has resulted in America’s politics, economic vitality, environmental sustainability, and social culture being directly influenced by the countries that control our oil supply. [1] "Petroleum Statistics," Energy Information Administration, Updated July 2011