NEW YORK (AP) — For the first time, the top export of the United States, the world's biggest gas guzzler, is — wait for it — fuel. Just how big of a shift is this? A decade ago, fuel wasn't even among the top 25 exports. And for the last five years, America's top export was aircraft. The trend is significant because for decades the U.S. has relied on huge imports of fuel from Europe in order to meet demand. It only reinforced the image of America as an energy hog. And up until a few years ago, whenever gasoline prices climbed, there were complaints in Congress that U.S. refiners were not growing quickly enough to satisfy domestic demand; that controversy would appear to be over. Still, the U.S. is nowhere close to energy independence. America is still the world's largest importer of crude oil. From January to October, the country imported 2.7 billion barrels of oil worth roughly $280 billion. Measured in dollars, the nation is on pace this year to ship more gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel than any other single export, according to U.S. Census data going back to 1990. It will also be the first year in more than 60 that America has been a net exporter of these fuels. Refining companies won't say how much they make by selling fuel overseas. But analysts say those sales are likely generating higher profits per gallon than they would have generated in the U.S. Otherwise, they wouldn't occur. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...0dmPAg&usg=AFQjCNFwhedfqCtkbdX-hVJgOuVX8yo7cQ So Americans have their own oil right here they could be buying but the companies don't give a shit about helping their own country but only their profits and bottom lines. This is a very sad thing to see being done to Americans by Americans but Joe will say that's just business so don't complain about capitalism at work. I see it as American gas companies trying to keep pushing the prices ever higher with speculators doing their work for them. America could reduce the amounts of imports by at least a third if it used its own oil here instead of selling it to the highest bidder overseas. By having more gas available from here that would reduce the costs because more supply means less increases in prices. So here we Americans are being screwed again and nothing being done about it. This is my opinion.
