Gasoline is a problem

Part of the purpose of this blog is to explore whether it is possible for a family to live off of American made products.  The truth is that getting around in many cities in the US is a problem.  Cars specifically.  In Miami, where I live, you have to have a car to get anywhere in any reasonable amount of time.  When I first moved here I took public transportation but it would take a minimum of an hour to get anywhere within a 5 mile radius.  I could have probably run there in the same amount of time.  The issue with cars for the purposes of this blog is gasoline. Where does it come from.  In 2009, US consumed 18.8 million barrels per day of petroleum products, making it the world's largest petroleum consumer. Although the US is the third largest crude oil producer, about half of the petroleum used here is imported. Gasoline comes from crude oil.

The problem is you can’t tell at any gas station where the gasoline was refined or where the crude came from.  In fact just because you buy gasoline at a Chevron, doesn’t mean Chevron refined it.  That’s because gasoline from different refineries is usually combined for shipment by pipeline, and companies owning service stations in the same area may be purchasing gasoline at the same bulk terminal. Of course you may wonder about all the commercials for one gasoline being better than another and it is true that some companies may add additives to the gasoline before it gets to the pump (whether they are effective or not is another matter entirely).  With regard to the source of the crude, that can vary a lot and depends on cost and availability.  Usually they come from a variety of domestic and foreign sources. 

So if you have a car that relies on gasoline you cannot live on all American made products.  Gasoline it seems will have to be an exception.