Energy Sector: The Critical 7% Driving America’s Economy
While energy represents only 7% of America’s GDP, it’s the essential foundation supporting all other economic activity. Former FERC Chair Mark Christie calls it “the foundational 7%” that enables everything from manufacturing to digital infrastructure. Current challenges include aging grid systems and supply chain dependencies that threaten national energy security.
Energy represents the most critical 7% of America’s economic foundation, powering every aspect of modern life despite its modest contribution to gross domestic product. According to former FERC Chair Mark Christie, now founding director of William & Mary Law School’s Center for Energy Law & Policy, “it’s the foundational 7%… everything else in our economy and lifestyle flows from it.” This perspective highlights how energy serves as the indispensable bedrock supporting the other 93% of economic activity, from artificial intelligence development to manufacturing and healthcare systems.
