Why doesn't America use its own oil to save us the high prices of world oil?

[Norrrm]

Why doesn't America use its own oil to save us the high prices of world oil?...
That question comes up but does not stay active very long. We are told that our own oil
is not the right kind of oil for our economy so we sell most(?) of it on the world market and
buy the type of oil better suited for us.
Now if we use the money that we get for our oil to buy the better oil, we should come out somewhere near even.
The way I see it, Trump is keeping the sale money as revenue and using it for his own purposes. Then we have to buy world oil at the high prices with little benefit from our own oil on energy prices.
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https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143670308 (May 28)
America's Emergency Oil Reserve Is Shrinking Fast
......... 13. I wish that's how this worked but it isn't.
Reply to Norrrm (Reply #11)
Mon May 25, 2026, 07:58 PM
Most US production, fracked crude, is light sweet. However, much of our refinery capacity is geared to handle heavy, sour crude, higher in sulfur content. The thick stuff we've been importing from Mexico, Canada, Colombia and Venezuela for ages. Long before fracking became a thing. Refinery setup is a function of decades of planning and billions in investment. Much of our refining capacity still can't efficiently refine light sweet, even though we produce more of that grade than nearly anyone. That's why we're not only the biggest exporter on the globe, but also the biggest importer behind China. The details behind that paradox.
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https://www.democraticunderground.com/100221300604
The tanks in Cushing, Oklahoma, are hitting bottom. The oil market is about to hit a tipping point

[usonian]

1. Only one thing in this awful mess makes "sense"

Without high oil prices, Russia is bankrupt.

Trump is responding to Putin and Bibi chiefly these days. Both must have copies of THOSE videos, literally damning.

Got ideas?

[Totally Tunsie]

2. U.S. oil resources are at lowest level in 30 years - since Reagan era.

https://fortune.com/2026/06/10/us-strategic-petroleum-reserve-depleted-lowest-level-since-reagan/

The nation’s emergency reserve for oil and fuel supplies is slipping below Biden-era lows to its most exhausted level since the Reagan era—when the nearly 50-year-old U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve was still being filled up.

The SPR will hit its lowest volumes since 1983 any day now—if not already—and continue sinking lower as the Trump administration leans on its reserves to keep oil exports flowing to the rest of the world—and to stop domestic prices from further skyrocketing.

As global commercial and strategic oil reserves continue to be depleted—and the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East remains effectively closed—the fear is it’s just a matter of time before resilient energy markets finally begin to “panic” and fuel prices soar more uncontrollably, whether that’s in July or August, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

snip

The administration has drained 66 million barrels—as of June 5—and counting from the SPR since the war in Iran began, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Trump has authorized the overall release of 172 million barrels over several months. The companies buying the barrels are pledging to replenish them.


The SPR hit a three-year low of 349.2 million barrels on June 5, and it’s being drained by close to 9 million barrels every week. The Biden-era low was 346.7 million barrels in July 2023, steadily growing from there until the Iran war.

Going any lower puts the SPR at levels not seen since August 1983.