The "Huge" Russian oil importer; President Donald Trump (1 Viewer)

[Sand Castle]

Trump, though, has not explained why Russian oil imports increased from 142.0 million barrels in 2017, his first year in office, to 197.7 million barrels in 2020 — an increase of 39%

In Trump’s Putin Rehab Tour, One Sticking Point: A Big Jump In Russian Oil On His Watch

Trump says the U.S. should not have been buying Russian oil, but imports increased 39% during his four years, after dropping 22% over Obama’s two terms.

www.huffpost.com

 

[phoenix2020]

Wait, I thought the narrative was that we were "energy independent" under Trump....

 

[Ginger Ale]

He was so good to Putin. Putin actually said he was looking forward to America pulling out of NATO in Trumps second term. What a piece of shit.

After all, Trumps little stunt trying to withhold aid to Ukraine for "favors" digging up dirt on Biden is probably why Ukraine is getting invaded right now. If he didn't do that, and welcomed Ukraine to America like he was supposed to, they'd be NATO members right now, and this wouldn't be going on at all.

Trump and Putin, dang, what a sick combo.

 

[Sand Castle]

Wait, I thought the narrative was that we were "energy independent" under Trump....

Another Trump telling his base what they want hear, why? For him! Whereas, the rest of us are living in the real world, where trump bullshit has real consequences.

 

[bongsaway]

Wait, I thought the narrative was that we were "energy independent" under Trump....

We were never energy independent. What we were was importing less oil than we were exporting, period. We never stopped importing oil.

 

[SonOfDaedalus]

We were never energy independent. What we were was importing less oil than we were exporting, period. We never stopped importing oil.

Doesn't that mean that if we stopped exporting we would have enough oil to not need imports?

 

[gino]

Doesn't that mean that if we stopped exporting we would have enough oil to not need imports?

The way it was explained to me:
Much of our oil is pumped out of the western US. The oil refineries are in the eastern US. We can't get the oil from the western US to the oil refineries cheaply. Our large oil tankers can't go through the Panama Canal, so they have to go all the way around the southern tip of South America. So, it is cheaper to send our western oil to Asia to be refined.

 

[Airyaman]

We were never energy independent. What we were was importing less oil than we were exporting, period. We never stopped importing oil.

"Energy independence" is a misnomer in modern geopolitical market places. A disruption in supply in one part of the world affects prices globally, including the US. The better term is "net exporter" but that is nuanced as well. Yes, by the barrels, were were "net exporters" in 2020, but the much of what we exported was for oils we could not readily use. Thus we had to import heavy crude to make up for our lack of supply here in the States.

 

[bongsaway]

Doesn't that mean that if we stopped exporting we would have enough oil to not need imports?

I have no idea?