It is a common sensation at this time of year: waiting for something in eager anticipation, only to find it disappointing when it eventually arrives. For decades, the US has dreamt about ending its dependence on foreign oil. Now “energy independence”, defined in that way, is very close, the limitations of that ambition have been brought more sharply into focus. Just before Christmas, the American aircraft carrier, the USS John C. Stennis, sailed into the Gulf — a show of force in a region that provides more than a fifth of the world’s oil. It was a reminder that the country still takes a keen interest in keeping global oil supplies flowing. An initiative launched this month by some US states to generate revenue from transport fuels to invest in infrastructure has offered a different perspective, potentially offering solutions to some of the flaws in successive administrations’ approaches to […]