LVXXU

Chapter IV
MODERNIZING U.S. ENERGY
SECURITY INFRASTRUCTURES
IN A CHANGING GLOBAL
MARKETPLACE
This chapter addresses the role of infrastructure in ensuring U.S. energy security
in a global marketplace. It first describes the evolution of the concept of U.S.
energy security in response to interconnected global energy markets. It then
discusses the security benefits of both increased domestic production and
increasingly efficient use of energy. The chapter then examines four sets of
infrastructures and provides associated recommendations at the end of each
discussion. First, it looks at modernizing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR),
analyzing both its physical facilities and the legal authorities governing its use.
Second, the chapter examines changes affecting infrastructures for delivering
propane and alternative fuels—two important contributors to a diverse U.S.
energy supply. Third, it looks at the need to reinvigorate the U.S.-flagged
shipbuilding industry, given the importance of marine transport of energy
commodities to U.S. security. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the U.S.
energy infrastructures that are shared with Canada and Mexico. This discussion
is related to the broader issues of North American energy market integration
that are covered in Chapter VI (Integrating North American Energy Markets).
QER Report: Energy Transmission, Storage, and Distribution Infrastructure | April 2015 4-1