For most North Carolinians, and for that matter, most Americans, thoughts of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries' (OPEC) oil embargo during the winter and spring of 1973 do not provide pleasant memories. It was a time of personal hardship, dramatically changing daily routines, considerable inconvenience, and a deepened national recession. However, the embargo's end saw most of the population return to normal routines, changed somewhat to accomodate higher petroleum prices, but unhampered by fuel shortages. A sluggish economy began the long slow road to recovery. But suspicion still lingers that the problem of future petroleum embargoes, and subsequent economic and daily chaos, remained unaddressed. Would the national and state governments be able to respond quickly and boldly should another sudden supply interruption occur in the near future? Are we better prepared for this contingency in the near future, and if we are, at what levels of preparedness are we? This paper is written to dispel some of the apprehension which now surrounds any discussion of petroleum embargoes. Its focus is short term supply crisis management caused by an embargo or natural catastrophe such as a break in the Alaskan pipeline. It describes the legislated national goals which will be operating during the next supply denial and briefly details the national programs which have been developed around them. It closes with a summary of actions which have been taken in North Carolina, and some comments on the basic orientation of the management framework and its implications to state and local policy making
