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Petroleum Becomes Most Used Fuel in the US
Source Due primarily to demand caused by the automobile, 1950 is the first year that petroleum becomes most consumed fuel in the US. -
Period: to
Energy Timeline
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First Nuclear Power Reactor to Generate Electricity Built in Idaho
Dec. 20, 1951
A nuclear reactor produced useful electricity for the first time. -
US Congress Passes Atomic Energy Act of 1954
Aug. 30, 1954
Congress passed new legislation that for the first time permitted the wide use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes -
Formation of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Baghdad, Iraq
Sep. 10-14, 1960
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a permanent, intergovernmental Organization, created at the Baghdad Conference on September 10-14, 1960, by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. -
Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act of 1973
Nov. 16, 1973
Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act of 1973 Passed to Increase Domestic Oil Supplies in Wake of Oil Embargo
After the discovery of a large oil field in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in 1968, U.S. Congress decided to construct a pipeline transversing Alaska as a means of transporting the oil to the nearest ice-free port at Valdez, Alaska. -
Federal Involvement in Wind Energy Development Advances Wind Energy Technology
1975
Federal Involvement in Wind Energy Development Advances Wind Energy Technology
This effort was led by NASA at the Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio and was an extraordinarily successful government research and development activity. -
Formation of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve
Dec. 22, 1975
Formation of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve; President Ford Signs into Law the Energy Policy and Conservation Act
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) was a revolutionary idea in 1974. The new Department of Energy assumed management of the operations of the SPR in 1977 under President Jimmy Carter's Administration. -
Federal Surface Mining Control Act Signed
Aug. 3, 1977
Federal Surface Mining Control Act Signed to Lessen Environmental Impacts of Surface Coal Mining
"The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) was enacted in 1977 after the US Congress recognized the need to regulate mining activity, rehabilitate abandoned mines, and protect society and the environment from the adverse effects of mining operations. -
Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident in Pennsylvania
Mar. 28, 1979
Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident in Pennsylvania Creates Widespread Public Opposition to Nuclear Power
On March 28, 1979, an accident at one of the reactors at Three Mile Island near Middletown, in Pennsylvania, closed the era of rosy optimism about nuclear power. The accident began when the coolant flow stopped, various mechanisms malfunctioned, and the operators lost control of what was happening. -
Exxon Valdez Disaster in Alaska
Exxon Valdez Disaster in Alaska Becomes the Largest Oil Spill in US Waters
The Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound. The grounding ripped the bottom of the single-hulled vessel, resulting in the rupture of 11 of the vessel’s crude oil tanks and the release of nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil into the environment. It was, and still is, the largest oil spill in United States waters.
