Here's an answer to high gas prices.

[Pab Sungenis]

A very simple piece of legislation. Call it the "Pumped In The USA Act."

"It shall be illegal to sell any petroleum produced in the United States or its Territories to any other nation or group of nations until and unless all domestic demand shall be met. It shall be illegal for refiners based within the United States and its territories to transport gasoline or other petroleum-based fuels outside the borders of the United States until and unless all domestic demand shall be met."

We produce a lot of oil in this nation, and export a good deal of it. Especially if we start drilling in ANWR, we have to make sure that all the oil WE produce goes to fill OUR needs before we go selling to someone else, or importing to cover the difference.

[LostinVA]

1. Sounds good to me n/t

[RB TexLa]

2. There were only gas shortages for a day here

and they were only out of regular. There was still gas to meet demand.

[Warpy]

3. Domestic refineries can't handle high sulfur oil

as I understand it, the type of "bunker oil" that is in the ANWR. That's why we ship all the foul stuff to Asia and keep the light, low sulfur stuff for ourselves.

Shipping the foul stuff to Asia takes pressure off the international market for light crude.

It makes a weird sort of sense.

[Sammy Pepys]

4. Clarification/Question

Clarification: You would allow foreign producers to sell to the US, but forbid US producers from selling anywhere other than the US?

Question: How do you determine when demand is satisfied?

[BlueEyedSon]

5. we import 60%, how will this help?

[SidDithers]

6. Silly idea...

"Does the U.S. export oil? Surprisingly, yes - but the amount is trivial, about 20,000 barrels per day vs. our 10,000,000 and more b/d imports. All exported crude goes to Canada, where it is likely refined and sent back as gasoline."

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

And if Canada were to do the same thing? Zooop! There goes 18% of the US oil supply.

Sid

Edit: Additionally, a small % of Alaskan production goes to export to South Korea and Japan.

Another Edit: Looks like info in above link is out of date. Here is current crude & products Export info:
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_expc_a_EP00_EEX_mbbl_m.htm

Crude only:
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_expc_a_EPC0_EEX_mbbl_m.htm

[WatchWhatISay]

7. Agreed, and you are correct

This is a non-solution

[Ganja Ninja]

8. Here's another idea, stop using so much!

Start driving smaller more fuel efficient cars. Go back to using trains instead of hauling everything by truck from coast to coast. Raise CAFE standards and tax fuel usage. Switch electrical generation from oil and gas to renewable's and nuclear power. Find non CO2 producing sources of power and institute crash programs to get them online as soon as possible.
We've dicked around too much. The issue isn't imported oil. The issue is global warming and greenhouse gas production. Save the planet and the oil problem will go away by itself.