	u s warns of dependence on foreign oil a white house ordered report said that growing u s reliance on foreign oil into the year could have potentially damaging implications for national security the energy department study discusses several options to curb reliance on foreign oil but makes no recommendations president reagan and most congressmen have previously ruled out a tax on foreign oil as a way to curb imports and to help the depressed domestic oil industry energy secretary john herrington said in a statement that although we have made gains in energy security in the last six years this report shows that there is justification for national concern both over declining competitiveness of our domestic oil and gas industry and over rising oil imports the report said imports last year were pct of u s consumption and by the mid s could rise to pct among the report s options to ease u s reliance on foreign oil are several already advocated by the reagan administration president reagan ordered the study last september citing a determination that the country never again become captive to a foreign oil cartel referring to the opec led oil shortages and sharp prices increases of the s the report said an import fee would raise prices and help make it economical for u s oil firms to find and produce new oil as well as to cut imports but on the whole the tax would depress the nation s economy reuter 
