Thanks to a burst of new shale oil production in states like North Dakota and Texas—as well as conservation measures like increased auto fuel efficiency—U.S. oil imports have been falling, with the country now bringing in just 20% of its energy from beyond its borders. And if the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) new World Energy Outlook is to be believed, the U.S. may be on its way to becoming the single biggest player in the global oil market. By around 2020, the IEA projects, the U.S. will be the world’s largest global oil producer, overtaking both Russia and Saudi Arabia. U.S. oil imports will keep falling, and by around 2030 North America as a whole will become a net oil exporter. From being the world’s biggest customer for oil, the U.S. could become the world’s biggest salesman.
via science.time.com
