U. S. energy landscape in bicentennial '76: awaiting production of Arctic oil and gas. [Brief review]

The United States in 1976 had a petroleum drilling density about seven times that of the average for all other countries; it possesses ten percent of the world's prospective petroleum area. It is estimated that more than three million oil wells, both exploration and development wells, have been drilled throughout the world since the beginning of the petroleum industry, with 2.2 million drilled in the U.S. The initial operating capacity of 1.2 million barrels a day of petroleum in late 1977 is expected from the Alaskan North Slope. The same areas will give the U.S. a new source of natural gas. Some 26 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves have been confirmed in the Prudhoe Bay field. The environmental, economic, regional, and international constraints that exist in bringing North Slope natural gas to the lower 48 are described briefly. (MCW)