States (Exhibit 17). Access to plentiful energy has lowered input costs for businesses,improving productivity, enabling scale, and improving household well-being. At independence, Americans consumed twice as much energy per person as Britons, given abundant firewood.1o As discussed, ready access to coal ignited the American industrial revolution of the second chapter. In the third squeezes, contributing to a slump in productivity.l1 The country regained energy independence in imports dropped below exports for the first time in half a century.12 This ultimately helped shield of Ukraine.113 Today, 64 percent of US crude oil production and 79 percent of dry natural gas production is from shale and tight formations.114 At 250, sustaining America's competitive edge