alt Hacker NewsWe're only energy independent in the sense that we export more oil than we import. We're still reliant on foreign oil because we haven't retooled (or built enough new) refineries for a lot of the oil we produce. Allowing the Saudis to own refineries is probably a strong factor there. If the middle east and Canada cut us off, we're SOL. Venezuela barely produces anything right now.
Retooling refineries to a different flavor of crude is expensive, but not that expensive. If push came to shove, the US could transition to oil independence in less than a year.