ABSTRACT
Petroleum exploration and production in foreign areas outside the Middle East are regarded as important for enhancing the security of oil supplies for the United States and other industrial countries and for meeting the energy requirements of oil-importing developing countries. Nevertheless, the U.S. government has done very little to promote petroleum development abroad. There have been a number of congressional hearings on the subject and the General Accounting Office has issued several reports concerning measures for reducing U.S. dependence on Middle East oil by promoting exploration and production in other foreign areas. 1 A 1977 presidential directive established the International Energy Development Program (IEDP) which has operated within the Department of Energy (DOE). The purpose of the IEDP was to help developing countries meet their energy needs through increased reliance on indigenous sources. The initial program was designed to (1) analyze LDC energy needs, uses, and resources; (2) encourage exploration and development of conventional energy resources; (3) provide research, development, and application of modern energy technologies; and (4) provide training and education and institution development. The activities of the IEDP have been mainly confined to the assessment of the needs and resources in a handful of countries. 2 More recently the DOE, in association with the U.S. Geological Survey, initiated the Foreign Energy Supply Assessment Program to provide reliable information on world-wide petroleum resources and potential by country. Both of these programs were underfunded and understaffed and have done relatively little to promote foreign petroleum development. The Agency for International Development (AID) has provided a certain amount of technical assistance for the development of various forms of energy resources in the LDCs.
