Fact Checking Obama's 'Get The Facts' On America's Dependence On Foreign Oil Under His Administration

I'm quite sure that most of you have seen this campaign ad that claims that, under the policies of Obama, our dependence on foreign oil has dropped to a 16-year low:



But, anyone who knows oil knows that this ad is a complete distortion of the facts; if not, an outright lie. They know that any current increases in oil production had to have started under George Bush.  That's because it takes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 years or more to bring an oil well in after having acquired a lease.  So, the earliest any new production under Obama wouldn't be seen until 2012 or later. Not, 2011 as the Obama ad implies.

But, those in the know also know that Obama has done everything possible to shut down domestic oil production.  He's blocked drilling in ANWR and off the coasts of California and Florida and in West Texas. He's nearly stalled drilling the Gulf of Mexico following the BP oil spill; and, he issued the fewest possible leases on federal lands.  In fact, because of these blocking actions, it would be just a matter of time before our dependence would start rising again and Obama's lies would be exposed.  And, that time is now.

According to an article appearing in the Democrat's own paper of record, the New York Times, oil imports from Saudi Arabia are on the rise again after having fallen for more than a decade; starting under Bush.  In fact, from 2001 to 2011, Saudi imports fell 32%.  But, in just the last year, Saudi imports have risen again. Not by a little amount but, by a whopping 20%.  So, so much for Obama's lie to have reduced our dependence of foreign oil!

References:

Christian Science Monitor Chart On Foreign Oil Dependency from 2001 to 2001:  http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/content/2012/0412-chart/12259091-1-eng-US/0412-chart_full_600.jpg

New York Times article: U.S. Reliance on Oil From Saudi Arabia Is Growing Again: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/17/business/energy-environment/us-reliance-on-saudi-oil-is-growing-again.html?pagewanted=all