I thought the oil rigs in the Gulf were pumping gas for EXPORT

[LittleClarkie]

I'd heard that we mostly sell that oil out of the country because it's actually cheaper to buy our oil from elsewhere than to keep our oil and refine it.

But now I'm getting confused. I've heard that we get about 40 percent of our US oil from the Gulf, but I've also heard from others that this is not true, that we get most of our oil from out of the country and sell that oil from the Gulf outside the country.

Does anyone have a link that would show where the oil that the US uses comes from?

[acmejack]

1. try this

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html

http://www.gravmag.com/oil.html

[eallen]

2. Here's an informative link, but it doesn't show all that you want.

This is a map of the US's energy flows, in 2002:

http://eed.llnl.gov/flow/02flow.php

Note that we import most of our oil. Be careful to read statements carefully. If someone claims "we get one-third of our domestic oil from the gulf," that doesn't mean we get one-third of all our oil from there. We do sell some oil abroad. Some of that might be for geographic reasons. Some of that has to do with the type of oil. Don't make the mistake of thinking that oil is oil is oil. There are many different substances that come from the earth's innards that get called "crude oil." Some is heavy, some is light. Some is sweet, some is sour.

Katrina's effect on the energy markets is far from simple. This storm has done all of the following:

(1) It has temporarily closed some of the platforms in the gulf south of New Orleans.

(2) It has temporarily closed a major refinery near New Orleans.

(3) It has affected the flow of tankers into the Port of Southern Louisiana. Some tankers carry crude. Some carry distillates.

(4) It has temporarily closed the Henry Hub, which is the major distribution point for natural gas in the US.

These are distinct events that have different but interacting effects.