U.S. Imports Almost 300 Million Barrels of Oil in September

America’s dangerous addiction to foreign oil continues to drain billions of dollars from our economy. All told, Americans spent a whopping $763,390.50 per minute last month to buy 296 million barrels of imported oil. The total price tag for imported oil in September? $33 billion dollars.

Despite the impressive gains in domestic oil and gas production, the U.S. has imported approximately 300 million barrels a month throughout 2013. The lone exception occurred in the middle of winter when February’s total dropped to 267 million barrels.

Another dubious trend is that OPEC continues to supply a staggering amount of imported oil. The latest figures are from July when OPEC provided almost 40 percent of America’s total oil imports. At $12.7 billion, the U.S. could be on track to buy $150 billion worth of OPEC oil.

In other words, our country’s failure to develop and implement a viable energy plan is a $150 billion windfall for OPEC and its members. Doesn’t make sense, does it?