United States energy independence is the concept of eliminating or substantially reducing import of petroleum to satisfy the nation's need for energy. Some proposals for achieving energy independence would permit imports from the neighboring nations of Canada and Mexico, in which case it would be called North American energy independence. Energy independence is espoused by those who want to leave the US unaffected by global energy supply disruptions and would restrict reliance upon politically unstable states for its energy security. In total energy consumption, the US produces more energy than it uses. In May 2011, the US became a net exporter of refined petroleum products. By 2014, the United States was the world's third largest producer of crude oil, after Saudi Arabia and Russia, and second-largest exporter of refined products, after Russia. In October 2019, the United States first became a net exporter of all oil products, including both refined petroleum products and crude oil. This was in the week ending October 18. During this week of "net exporter of all oil products, including both refined petroleum products and crude oil", "Weekly U.S. Commercial Crude Oil Imports Excluding SPR" were 5,857,000 barrels per day and exports were 3,683,000 barrels per day. In this week of "energy independence", the United States was still importing more crude oil than it was exporting. Weekly Production of Crude Oil for this week totaled 12,600,000 barrels per day. This "energy independence" occurred again during two weeks in December 2019. In 2020, this occurred in 38 weeks. It occurred 11 times in 2021 and it has occurred every week since the week ending March 11, 2022 through week ending May 5, 2023, (the most recent reporting of the EIA) 68 times. During the pandemic, weekly crude oil production dropped to a low of 9,700,000 barrels per day. As of week ending May 5, 2023, crude oil production had returned to pre-pandemic levels of 12,300,000 barrels per day. By 2021 the US was the world's largest producer. As of March 2015, 85% of crude oil imports came from, in order of decreasing volume, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Venezuela, and Colombia. Nineteen percent of imported oil came from the Middle East. The fraction of crude oil consumed in the US that was imported went from 35% immediately before the 1973 oil crisis, peaked at 60% in 2005, and then returned to 35% by 2013 thanks to increased domestic production from the shale oil boom. Beginning in the 1970s, exports of crude oil were illegal without a permit; in 2013, the United States physically exported a relatively small amount of oil, and only to Canada. The ban was repealed in 2015. Greater energy self-sufficiency, it is claimed, would prevent major supply disruptions like the 1973 oil crisis and the 1979 energy crisis. Proponents argue that the potential for political unrest in major oil suppliers, such as Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Nigeria, is abundant, and often causes great fluctuations in crude oil prices, especially in the short term. Large individual US pipelines and other fuel infrastructure and extraction projects are controversial issues in US politics.
Historical trend
In the early 20th century the United States became a major oil supplier to the world. World War II prompted a Synthetic Liquid Fuels Program but it did not go beyond research. In mid-century the country shifted from being a major exporter to a net importer. An import quota imposed in 1959 (during the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration) limited imports to a fraction of domestic production until 1973. After the 1973 oil crisis, the United States Department of Energy and Synthetic Fuels Corporation were created to address the problem of fuel import dependency. The US's dependence on foreign oil rose from 26 percent to 47 percent between 1985 and 1989. According to the Washington & Jefferson College Energy Index, by 2012, American energy independence had decreased by 22% since the Presidency of Harry Truman. The US's imports of foreign oil fell to 36 percent in 2013 (during the Barack Obama administration), down from a high of 60 percent in 2006 (during the George W. Bush administration). Many proponents of energy independence look to the United States' untapped domestic oil reserves, either known or potential. Those who favor increasing domestic oil production often suggest removing many of the limitations on oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (see Arctic Refuge drilling controversy) and the outer continental shelf. Foreign dependence is not the only factor in North American energy politics, however; environmental concerns around land and water pollution and greenhouse gases are also matters of controversy.
Approaches
Some proponents of US energy independence promote wider use of alternatives such as ethanol fuel, methanol, biodiesel, plug-in hybrids and other alternative propulsion. A 2013 report published by the Fuel Freedom Foundation said that without a shift to domestic feedstocks for fuel, such as natural gas and biomass, the US would not be able to achieve energy independence. As of 2014, the United States imposed an import tariff of 54 cents a gallon on ethanol fuel (there is no such import tariff on oil or methanol fuel). Ethanol fuel in Brazil is produced from sugarcane, which yields much more fuel per acre than the corn used for ethanol production in the United States. In the United States, oil is primarily consumed as fuel for cars, buses, trucks and airplanes (in the form of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel). Two thirds of US oil consumption is due to the transportation sector. A national strategy designed to shift all transportation to a combined use of alternative fuels and plug-in hybrids is predicted to make the US independent of petroleum (oil).
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