Is America Energy Independent?

[cawacko]

Reading this book called Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shaped Modern Civilization (which are sand, salt, iron, copper, oil and lithium). It's about how we discovered these items, how we get/use them, their future and ultimately their effect on the climate.

But I remember a couple of threads here previously based on headlines that said America is energy independent (which is good news). I admittedly can't speak all that knowledgably about oil but I'll just copy this paragraph from the book. For those more knowledgeable, is the author wrong (basically saying otherwise)?


"Most American refineries are set up for the kind of heavy, sour crudes you get from Canada, Mexico and Venezuela. That made sense when it looked as if the U.S. was running out of domestic oil, but then came the shale oil revolution. American shale oil, it turns out, is typically light and high quality, meaning it is not best-suited for domestic refineries. The upshot is that while arithmetically America is energy independent - producing far more oil than it consumes - in practice it is anything but. It must keep sucking in heavy oils from elsewhere to feed its refineries while sending Texan crude off to Europe and Asia to be refined. Unplugging yourself from the global energy system actually turns out to be rather tricky, hence why American Presidents like Joe Biden must continue shuttling around the world discussing oil."

 

[archives]

Reading this book called Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shaped Modern Civilization (which are sand, salt, iron, copper, oil and lithium). It's about how we discovered these items, how we get/use them, their future and ultimately their effect on the climate.

But I remember a couple of threads here previously based on headlines that said America is energy independent (which is good news). I admittedly can't speak all that knowledgably about oil but I'll just copy this paragraph from the book. For those more knowledgeable, is the author wrong (basically saying otherwise)?


"Most American refineries are set up for the kind of heavy, sour crudes you get from Canada, Mexico and Venezuela. That made sense when it looked as if the U.S. was running out of domestic oil, but then came the shale oil revolution. American shale oil, it turns out, is typically light and high quality, meaning it is not best-suited for domestic refineries. The upshot is that while arithmetically America is energy independent - producing far more oil than it consumes - in practice it is anything but. It must keep sucking in heavy oils from elsewhere to feed its refineries while sending Texan crude off to Europe and Asia to be refined. Unplugging yourself from the global energy system actually turns out to be rather tricky, hence why American Presidents like Joe Biden must continue shuttling around the world discussing oil."

There are numerous variables that effect oil and determining if one is actually independent, for example, that “sucking in heavy oils” is done primarily because of profit at the opportunity cost of less oil for domestic consumption

 

[cawacko]

There are numerous variables that effect oil and determining if one is actually independent, for example, that “sucking in heavy oils” is done primarily because of profit at the opportunity cost of less oil for domestic consumption

This is my own ignorance but can you elaborate on the second part of your response? The author offer an explanation for why our refineries were set up the way they are. You're saying that was a choice not based on the type of oil we use but simply to make more money?

 

[T. A. Gardner]

America could easily be, but isn't primarily because of radical Leftist environmentalists, their NIMBY supporters, and other mostly Leftist anti-science and engineering crackpots that won't let that happen.

For example, for a fraction of what Obama and Biden have wasted on solar and wind and other environmental-tard nonsense the Left loves, we could have today, finished, say 50 new nuclear power plants that have replaced all coal and oil usage in electrical generation, along with the necessary natural gas peaking plants all running completely on US produced energy sources. If the nuclear plants are breeders using Thorium stock, we'd have over 1,000 years of available fuel for them.

But neeeewwwoooo. The Democrat retards on the Left are jamming the most insane, least efficient, not even close to environmentally friendly bullshit on energy down our throats because it's what they want. Science and engineering be damned, dogma is all that matters to them.

 

[Hawkeye10]

The biggest problem is that fracking wells dont produce for very long, and that America's crude production will drop rapidly starting now because of the lack of investment, which is being driven by the Revolution which wants to end to use of oil rapidly. America's natural gas supply is also not stable because of the promise to send so much of it Europe. American energy prices are rising rapidly, and there is no end in sight.

BTW re the OP, I saw a report that DOD is importing a specialty grade of Russian crude even now....they need it....Jet fuel I think.