Biden says the Ukraine crisis shows why the U.S. must become energy independent. Is that possible?
- The U.S. power grid is close to self sufficiency. It’s the transportation sector that’s more volatile.
- The U.S. imported nearly 700,000 barrels per day of crude oil and refined petroleum products from Russia last year.
- In 2019 and 2020, the U.S. exported more primary energy (energy in its raw form) than it imported.
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden’s announcement earlier this week that the U.S. will ban oil and other energy imports from Russia in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine also carried a solemn message for Americans.
“This crisis is a stark reminder,” Biden said Tuesday from the White House’s Roosevelt Room. “To protect our economy over the long term, we need to become energy independent.”