Since the presidency of Richard Nixon, policymakers have sought “energy independence” as the goal of energy policy. But that goal, unclear to begin with, has grown more opaque over time. “Energy independence” has meant different things at different times with no clear definition. Nevertheless, the goal is evocative, with symbolism that draws on key narratives from American history. This article argues that the idea of “energy independence” has become a trope and as such a major component of the energy-policy discourse. It describes the shifting (often only apparent) definitions of the trope both in energy-policy rhetoric and in energy legislation, and also explains how the discourse has shifted in recent years due to resource development and the realities of climate change.

中文翻译：

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“能源独立”政策的四个十年探索：穿越时间追逐一个比喻

自理查德尼克松担任总统以来，政策制定者一直将“能源独立”作为能源政策的目标。但随着时间的推移，这个目标，一开始就不清楚，变得越来越不透明。“能源独立”在不同时期有不同的含义，没有明确的定义。然而，这个目标是令人回味的，具有借鉴美国历史关键叙述的象征意义。本文认为，“能源独立”的理念已成为一种比喻，并因此成为能源政策话语的重要组成部分。它描述了能源政策修辞和能源立法中不断变化的（通常只是明显的）比喻定义，并解释了近年来由于资源开发和气候变化的现实，话语如何发生了变化。