Our oil consumption amounts to approximately 19 million barrels each day. Although we’re one of the largest oil producers worldwide, we still must import oil to fuel all of our cars, trucks, boats and planes. We’ve been doing this since the late 40s with quantities only rising until very recently.

Today the U.S. spends more than $1 billion a day on oil imports, money that does not always finance our global allies. If we were to increase our domestic oil production, more oil spending would go into our own pockets instead of those of other countries. Each million barrels of oil we produce at home would also create a million new jobs and $30 billion in economic spending for the U.S.

So what would it take to get our foreign oil addiction under control? What does it take to permanently reduce our oil dependency? How exactly do we increase efficiency in order to need less oil? First, we’d need to create an infrastructure that supports lower petroleum needs. Alternatives like light rail, natural gas and renewable energy sources will need to be promoted. That may include additional government taxes and subsidies for incentives to shift to new technologies and allow them to be competitive.

Second, the price of gas would likely go up with fewer imported sources and the additional taxes. If we’re okay with that, how do we feel about domestic drilling that may need to be considered to meet the demand currently being met by imports? Will people still be on board if the tradeoff of reduced foreign oil includes damage to the Alaskan Arctic? What if it involves an influx of offshore drilling like that which was responsible for the BP Gulf spill?

These measures may not be welcomed with open arms. Yet, what will our future look like if we just continue on the same path we’re on? This is not the first time in history that we’ve felt an alarming need to wean ourselves off of our great dependency on imported oil.

Remember the days of Nixon in the early 70’s. Nearly 40 years ago we thought we’d break free of the Arab oil embargo with Project Independence. Yet, our imported oil dependency continued. Then again during Carter’s reign, a resurgence of commitment rose within us as we equated our draw to foreign oil to “the moral equivalent of war.” But, once the surge of the Iranian revolution settled, so did our conviction. This addiction is not a new one. The question is whether our actions will be.

On March 30, 2011, President Obama called for a reduction in foreign oil by one third within the next decade. The plan would include electric car production, natural gas conversion of trucks, biofuel refineries, and heightened fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles.

You may be asking if we are in the position to realistically make this shift. Experts like energy secretary Steven Chu believe that we are now capable of cutting our oil imports in half within 20 years. It may mean shifting to more transformational technology in the arenas of electric cars and biofuels. And governmental support would be necessary to assist in their competitiveness. It may involve linking renewable energy sources like wind and solar energy to the electric grid for greater capacity. And it most likely would entail reducing fuel consumption of buildings with new technologies in energy efficiency.

Researchers from the Rice University Energy Program already anticipate a decline in need due to more fuel efficient vehicles lowering our foreign dependency by over one third by 2025. An increase in hybrid, electric and natural gas vehicles on the road would bring about even further advancements.

Perhaps the “change” that President Obama was known for will be embodied in our new independence from foreign oil. Our current path is not sustainable. There is no better time than the present. As Obama put it, “The United States of America cannot afford to bet our long-term prosperity and security on a resource that will eventually run out.”