Overview

In 1859, Edwin L. ("Colonel") Drake (1819-1880) helped dig the world's first petroleum well. This launched the era of relatively cheap and abundant energy. In a very short time, petroleum was powering the industrial world in the form of internal combustion engines, jet turbines, and many power plants. In the twentieth century, petroleum has furnished raw materials for plastics, roadways, fertilizers, and more. Petroleum has become so important to a country's economic and military power that petroleum extraction and distilling facilities have become prime military assets and targets and, in fact, secure access to petroleum was a major factor in events leading to the Persian Gulf War of 1990 and 1991. Petroleum, however, seems to be a mixed blessing. Of primary concern to most environmentalists is the environmental risk that accompanies all aspects of...