ENERGY

U.S. May Be More Vulnerable to Oil Supply Cut: The United States is losing its ability to respond to disruptions in oil imports, making the nation more vulnerable to a cutoff in supply, a government report said. The report by the Office of Technology Assessment, which researches technology issues for Congress, said the country continues to grow more reliant on imported oil as domestic production declines and demand for energy increases. It said that within 20 years the United States may rely on imports for as much as 75% of its oil needs, up from 42% last year. The report, which updated a 1984 agency study, said that maintaining domestic production and improving replacement technologies would help lessen vulnerability to a disruption of imports, as would diversifying world petroleum production.