The United States has had several oil scares throughout its history, most of which turn out to be due to the exaggeration of a small event. However, these fears highlight a huge problem with the United States and that problem is the United States' dependence on foreign oil. Why is it important that our oil comes from overseas? In a healthy economy this probably wouldn't be that relevant, but the US economy isn't exactly healthy right now. There are 4 things I would like to address: what the problem is, how it affects us, what some solutions are, and what solutions I think are best. Every year the demand for oil grows and the amount produced by the United States decreases while the amount of oil imported by America increases. In 1994, oil imported by OPEC members amounted to approximately 1,400,000 barrels, in 2008 to approximately 2,200,000 barrels. The amount of U.S. oil imported from non-OPEC members ranged from approximately 1,700,000 to 3,000,000 barrels. According to eia.doe.gov, in 2010 the United States imported approximately 4,000,000 to 4,500,000 barrels of oil. All of this, in summary, means that the United States imports more than half of all its oil. And at the current rate the United States spends about $13 million an hour on oil. Increasing the impact on our economy, the NRDC found that approximately 1/5 of our trade deficit comes from imported oil. Every day the United States loses $390 million to foreign oil, money that could be spent on American infrastructure or to help lift the United States out of recession. This is money that will most likely not be reinvested in America and will only increase our deficit. Another problem outside of our spending is the fact that we are importing from some highly unstable nations... middle of paper......>."How dependent is the United States on foreign oil? | GDS Publishing." Oil & Gas News | GDS Editions. Network. May 26, 2011. "Oil Imports and Exports: Energy Explained, Your Guide to Understanding Energy." Network. May 26, 2011. .OPEC: home. Network. May 26, 2011. "US Oil - Exports - Economy." Index Mundi - Facts about the country. Network. May 26, 2011. “Crude Oil Imports from the United States.” Network. May 26, 2011. .U.S. Energy Information Association. “Total U.S. Crude Oil and Products Imports.” Eia.doe.gov. Network. May 26 2011. .