I read that during WWII, gasoline rationing was imposed upon the US population .This was not because of any shortage of gasoline, but to conserve the (rapidly dwindling) supply of natural rubber for tires. Anyway, one of the reasons for Japan’s entry into WWII was the fact that the USA cut off oil exports to Japan. Now, given that the USA began to build the ginat interstate highway system in the 1950’s (and made some of the largest engined cars ever made), I expect that the US began to import oil heavily in the 1950’s…at what point did imports exceed exports?
Is Canada stuill a net exporter of oil?
U.S. Department of Energy, Petroleum Overview, 1949-2003. As you can see from the chart, by 1949, years before the Interstate Highway System, we were already importing more petroleum than we were exporting.
This page says that the United States became a net importer of petroleum in 1948.
I wonder what the figures about crude oil production refelect…I imagine that excepet for Al;aska, there is very little new drilling going on in the lower 48 states (offshore excepeted). I wonder what our domestic crude oil production would be if we were able to:
-reverse the California ban on offshore drilling
-open up the US Navy strategic reserve
-open up the eastern US coast to drilling
Of course, just getting people to drive 4-cylinder cars instead og V-8 SUVs would probably have a major effect upon consumption.
Canada is still a net exporter of oil, and will be for the forseeable future. There’s a lot of tar in them thar sands.