ABSTRACT
Creating and maintaining a safe, clean environment is an important part of the worldwide effort to improve living standards and the quality of life for the human race. And, as world population grows and more nations industrialize, it will become increasingly difficult, but no less important, to balance environmental protection with economic development and the provision of affordable energy, to achieve sustainable growth.
Over the past 20 years, the United States has been the focal point for the debate, exploration and, in some cases, resolution of these issues. And, as providers of much of society’s energy, the US oil industry has been a major participant in this process. Now, as the debate gathers momentum in other countries, it is appropriate to review what has transpired in the US, to learn which courses of action have worked, and which have not.
