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Energy and the environment in North America: Critical linkages
Jeffrey Schott and Meera Fickling A large share of the energy
consumed in North America is produced in the three countries and
a lot of it is traded across the two U.S. borders. Canada is the
leading source of U.S. oil imports —roughly 70 per cent of the
crude oil it produces is shipped to the United States; Mexico
ranks second. Combined, Canada and Mexico account for more than
30 per cent of U.S. oil imports. Despite sizeable production,
however, the region as a whole is a net oil importer and almost
half of its oil imports come from the Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Russia. Without new
domestic production, the region —and the United States in
particular— will become more heavi