Can the United States survive without foreign oil?

it seems that the war in the Middle east is because of aggression of one country invadeing another but the whole thing is about OIL or $$$. If the US stopped buying Middle East oil those countries would deal witht the US in a whole other light.Can the United States survive without foreign oil?
Yes and no.





Given our present consumption and sources for oil, no. Our economy would collapse (okay, major disarray) without foreign oil.





We could open up all our reserves and allow more offshore drilling and could probably make up the shortfall but we would expend our own oil relatively quickly and then would have to import even more of our oil.





Finally, if we came up with a comprehensive plan to reduce our need for oil we could graduall ween ourselves from foreign oil. That would be the best course of action.





Oil independence would help us survive also by making us more objective in foreign policy and reduce the conflicts that we need to get involved in.





Addition:


We don't get most of our oil from the middle east, they are just the most volatile source.





Sorry this information doesn't line up well. Use this link to see it better:


http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petro鈥?/a>








Crude Oil Imports (Top 15 Countries)


(Thousand Barrels per Day)


Country Feb-07 Jan-07 YTD 2007 Feb-06 Jan - Feb 2006





--------------------------------------鈥?br>




CANADA 1,840 1,856 1,848 1,710 1,740


MEXICO 1,358 1,435 1,398 1,774 1,735


SAUDI ARABIA 1,185 1,559 1,382 1,418 1,375


VENEZUELA 1,115 955 1,031 1,178 1,204


NIGERIA 1,061 1,106 1,085 1,342 1,232


ANGOLA 451 553 504 464 441


ALGERIA 392 548 474 163 201


IRAQ 325 531 433 450 493


ECUADOR 178 269 226 222 302


KUWAIT 158 172 165 152 110


UNITED KINGDOM 137 61 97 82 58


BRAZIL 103 204 156 164 110


CHAD 87 70 78 77 76


COLOMBIA 73 137 106 126 148


LIBYA 63 9 35 58 48Can the United States survive without foreign oil?
We have no choice. We are reaching peak oil and some suggest we will reach peak oil in 10 years. Be prepared to pay $6 and up for a gallon of gas.
You are wrong about the reason for the war. The reason for the war is to stop terrorism. Have you forgotten about 9/11?





But as for your original question- Yes it is possible, but not for a while. There are plenty of places in the US where oil can be drilled. We need to get these oil fields up and running at full capacity. As a kid I remember driving through Western Colorado, there were miles and miles of oil rigs- seems like they were still working at that point. I remember driving other places in the US and seeing oil rigs working. Now you don't see them anymore and if you do, they are not working, they are still and rusty. We need to reopen these oil fields and start producing our own oil. I believe that there is enough oil in the US to keep us going, we just have to start drilling for it.





I don't know that we can entirely cutoff our dependence on foreign oil right now, but give us several months to get us up and running to full capacity and get some reserves, then we can cut off our foreign oil. Who knows- that may even shut down terrorist organizations- because many of them get their funding from oil. It really is not good for us to be completely dependent on ANYTHING foreign. That does not mean that we should cut off all foreign trade- just make sure that we can depend on America's supplies.





So Yes I believe that we can survive without foreign oil- it will just take some time to get there.
yep thats why their in iraq right now, its obvious.
We are working on it. It will take time, however we are getting the alternate fuels, and the cars with improved mileage are getting here, it is still not so well coordinated, however we are all very much aware that there are problems with getting enough oil. Instead of trying to fix the blame, it is much more important to focus on new fuels and Cars that are Green Line. There is much more we can do, and as I find ,are already doing, when I was at the Mall, the AC was not on, and the entrance doors were open, for the fresh air to come in! Surprise! We make our trips count, and I do see less cars during day everywhere I go. Biking during good weather is better for our health, and walking is as well, in order to save on fuel. WE are an Ingenious peoples here, I personally think we will make it. I appreciate the view Kia's Sister has from her travels through the Country.
no weay.
No they cant thats why theyre in Iraq killing women, children and old folks and stealing their oil. Actually I take that back. There is ample proof that the real reason the US is there is to keep Iraqs oil in the ground!!! that way the Saudis get to ramp up the prices, and Bush senior has been in bed with the Saudi princes for decades.
No, the U.S needs oil, most of the oil comes from Saudi Arabia, and we need Iraq to protect that route. Its as simple as that. Anyone who drives a car but is anti-Iraq war is a moron that likes to have their cake and eat it too.
As of right now we wouldnt last 6 months without foreign oil, we have a reserve but not big enough to support the country as a whole.
If we use only the oil that we produce, it would force us to buy cars that get better mileage and lower our thermostats.