General Discussion

WarGamer

(18,868 posts) Sat May 23, 2026, 04:07 PM 8 hrs ago

bAN OIL EXPORTS!! Keep US oil at home, lower gas prices! hashtag underscore yolo

Why am I seeing this in some corners of the interwebz?

It's really nonsense.

Let's start.

The US produces mostly "light sweet crude"

US refineries need "heavy sour crude" to produce gasoline, etc... from the oil imported from Canada, Mexico and Venezuela

If you ban exports you trap millions of barrels of crude here that refineries can't use.

Oil is priced as a global commodity so what are they suggesting? Price setting? Regulate oil prices to be $45/bbl??

And then with permanent $45/bbl oil, how many of the US drillers will just stop drilling as there's no money to make?

Sometimes the people who think they're really smart... are simply utter buffoons.

At least in California... $1.30-1.40 per gallon is taxes.

6 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

bAN OIL EXPORTS!! Keep US oil at home, lower gas prices! hashtag underscore yolo (Original Post) WarGamer 8 hrs ago OP

We export 10 million barrels of sweet oil a day while importing 8 million barrels is sour oil. surfered 7 hrs ago #1

IOW, No new oil leases for any company that exports a drop of our oil. Bluetus 7 hrs ago #2

The claims regarding heavy sour producing more gasoline taxi 6 hrs ago #3

Thet's not what I claimed... US refineries are not built for light sweet. WarGamer 3 hrs ago #4

That completes the picture. taxi 3 hrs ago #5

Which is exactly why we export Light sweet WarGamer 2 hrs ago #6

surfered

(14,360 posts)

1. We export 10 million barrels of sweet oil a day while importing 8 million barrels is sour oil.

Reply to WarGamer (Original post)

Sat May 23, 2026, 04:16 PM

7 hrs ago

..mostly from Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela.

Bluetus

(3,101 posts)

2. IOW, No new oil leases for any company that exports a drop of our oil.

Reply to WarGamer (Original post)

Sat May 23, 2026, 04:16 PM

7 hrs ago

taxi

(2,759 posts)

3. The claims regarding heavy sour producing more gasoline

Reply to WarGamer (Original post)

Sat May 23, 2026, 05:17 PM

6 hrs ago

are indeed the opposite, light sweet produced more gasoline at lower costs and is easier to refine.

I guess there is no answer to to why people feed us misinformation. It's like you said, Sometimes the people who think they're really smart... are simply utter buffoons.

https://www.alphaexcapital.com/commodities/energy-commodities/crude-oil-trading/light-sweet-vs-heavy-sour-crude]

If you're comparing light sweet vs heavy sour crude, this guide breaks down the key differences and practical trade-offs.

Key takeaways

Light sweet crude (≈35-45° API, ≤0.5% sulfur) refines 10-20% cheaper and produces more gasoline and diesel than heavy sour crude.

https://www.ebc.com/forex/types-of-crude-oil-complete-guide-for-beginners

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Why are some crude oils more valuable than others?
Light, sweet crudes are easier to refine, produce cleaner fuels, and command higher prices, while heavy, sour crudes cost more to process and are often discounted.

WarGamer

(18,868 posts)

4. Thet's not what I claimed... US refineries are not built for light sweet.

Reply to taxi (Reply #3)

Sat May 23, 2026, 09:05 PM

3 hrs ago

taxi

(2,759 posts)

5. That completes the picture.

Reply to WarGamer (Reply #4)

Sat May 23, 2026, 09:09 PM

3 hrs ago

US refineries need heavy sour