Light crude production on the rise in US

Fuel Fix:
Growing U.S. crude oil production is getting lighter, continuing a trend set off by the shale oil and gas drilling boom that began a decade ago.

Lighter crude oil -- which is less dense than heavy crude oils out of Canada and the Middle East -- increased to 53 percent of production in the Lower 48 states of the U.S. in 2017, according to the Department of Energy.

That lighter crude oil has a higher API gravity, which means less dense crude oil. Ligther crudes are generally easier to refine.

U.S. refiners in Texas have increased their ability to process more light crude, from just over 1.5 million barrels a day in 2015 to nearly 2 million barrels a day in 2017. The lighter crude accounted for 55 percent of Texas oil production in 2017, according to Energy Department data.
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The US is still importing 7.6 million barrels a day of heavy crude while exports of light crude are expected to rise to 4 million barrels a day.  If refinery capacity was switched to light crude the amount of imported oil would drop by half.  That is something ethanol can't do yet refineries are forced to pay RIN's to keep the Big Corn lobby happy.  In the process, US energy security is harmed.  There should be a program to encourage the switch to light crude refineries.  With increased US production, this could eventually lead to a significant reduction in imports.

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