DOE: petroleum net imports as a share of US consumption in 2017 was at the lowest level since 1967
20 November 2018
The share of petroleum net imports to US petroleum consumption in 2017 was 18.9%—the lowest level since 1967, according to the US Department of Energy (DOE).
Net imports are calculated as total imports minus exports. The share of total petroleum imports relative to all US petroleum consumption in 2017 was 50.8%.
The two data series (net imports and total imports) have been moving in tandem for several decades, but in recent years have uncoupled due to a rise in petroleum exports. Increased crude oil production and the lifting of a crude oil export ban have contributed to the rise in exports.
So DESPITE this massive increase in crude extraction due to the development of horizontal drilling and fracking to get at "tight oil", the US still imports almost 20% of its crude.
This situation is ridiculous.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 20 November 2018 at 06:14 AM
Agree; the Washington politicians voted to allow the oil companies to export U.S. oil so now they have no reason to sell domestic oil at home...they sell where the profits are the greatest and the slack is made up by foreign imports. The U.S. oil companies are having a party, especially with the Republicans paid to do their bidding.
Posted by: Lad | 20 November 2018 at 09:44 PM
There is a point to exporting some of this new surge of crude, because it's (ironically) too "light" for the way US refineries are set up and it makes economic sense to swap it for other oil rather than re-engineer everything to process it. This goes double given the rapid decline rates of the source wells; by the time the rework was done, the surge of oil could be gone.
The ridiculous part is that there's been no push to control domestic consumption by restraining the consumer flight from passenger cars to guzzling SUVs. We are setting ourselves up for a repeat of the oil price shocks of the 1970's.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 21 November 2018 at 01:54 AM
Unfortunately, fossil/bio fuels consumption, for recent heavier SUVs and large Pick-ups, is going up and so will pollution and GHGs.
A national effective program to promote the use of HEVs, PHEVs, BEVs and FCEVs with 55+ mpg to 115+mpg empg is overdue. California stands alone?
Posted by: HarveyD | 21 November 2018 at 12:19 PM
Net imports are calculated as total imports minus exports...
Misleading, we are exporting more, not importing less.
Posted by: SJC | 24 November 2018 at 10:55 PM