Man, the people with big bucks play the American public like an old record.
We'll never be energy independent unless only everything over US consumption plus a few percent can be exported because there will always be "market reasons" to buy foreign oil and "national security" reasons to sell oil and gas both of which will serve to drive the price of fuel in this country up to the level it's at in Europe.
That's the goal, that's the endpoint, and all this "free market" trash is no different than banks gambling and getting to keep their winnings while the Taxpayer has to cover their losses.
If being able to export everything that's surplus to our needs isn't sufficient incentive then the BS about oil and gas being tough to recover and/or in short supply is total garbage just to keep the price up.
JMHo
In my opinion, the US job market and the oil consumers would benefit from exporting “excessive”, expensive, light sweet crude while importing cheaper heavy sour crude oil.
We have already spent billions of dollars upgrading many of refineries to use the cheaper heavy sour that contains more BTUs per barrel.
At the same time, we need to stop blocking projects like the Keystone XL which would bring more heavy sour into the US from a secure source.
That price is driven by taxes greatly exceeding the price of the products. It is not a lack of supply, but an overage of government. We are trying to reduce the government's role in private industry, not increase it.
Unfortunately, we pretty much have to import a certain portion of foreign oil. Most of the new production from the horizontal / fracking technology is “light, sweet” crude, but most US refineries require “sour” crude. (Sweet and Sour refers to sulfur content mainly...)
BUT we are better off if we can sell the sweet stuff we have to pay for the sour we must import.
ALSO lots of overseas buyers would much rather start buying from the US in lieu of Russia and OPEC. Gives them a bit of security and diversification, and pokes a little bit of a stick in Putin’s and OPEC’s eyes. Also helps secure some US power, when we are shedding so much by our leader-from-behind’s actions (or lack thereof).