Petroleum-_Should_America_Import_Oil_

Petroleum- Should America Import Oil' “Petroleum is the most important fossil fuel in the modern industrial world” (Craig, 2001). Petroleum, a base for many types of fuel and lubricants, is nonrenewable resource. One day, we will have no more oil; but until that day comes, earth’s inhabitants will have to buy and sell the petroleum that currently exists. Some Americans say that the U.S. should be completely self-sufficient, and supply itself with oil from Texas, Alaska, and other areas. However, when one looks at the amount of oil we import from other countries every year, American self-sufficiency seems quite impossible, or at least, improbable. In 1999 alone, the U.S. imported 10551000 barrels of oil from both OPEC and non-OPEC countries (AER, 1999). In 1949, we imported 645000 barrels of oil (AER,1999). North America has only 7.1% of the world’s oil resources; split that percentage between the U.S., Canada, oil, petroleum, importing, countries, resources, world’s, united, states, resource, opec, one, obvious, leaves, imported, however, fuel, drilling, day, craig, become, barrels, 2001, 1999, year, world, wilderness, vulnerable, until, unable, types, texas, supply, split, since, should