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Oil Prices, 2000-2008

Using an Innovative Technique to Retrieve Oil in Lawrence County, Illinois
The ASP flooding technique is helping to retrieve 65-75 barrels of oil a day, an increase from the previous retrieval of 16 barrels a day. | Image by Hantz Leger.

A pilot program for Lawrence oil field in Lawrence County, Illinois, is helping to increase domestic oil production and decrease our dependence on foreign oil.

Our Dependence on Foreign Oil Is Declining
Image courtesy of whitehouse.gov

America’s dependence on foreign oil has gone down every single year since President Obama took office. In 2010, we imported less than 50 percent of the oil our nation consumed—the first time that’s happened in 13 years—and the trend continued in 2011.

PNNL Breakthrough Leads to Less Foreign Oil, More American Jobs
A highly efficient catalyst to convert renewable crops into the product propylene glycol was discovered by scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and commercialized by the Archer Daniels Midland Company. | Image courtesy of PNNL.

A highly efficient catalyst to convert renewable crops into the product propylene glycol was discovered by scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and commercialized by the Archer Daniels Midland Company.

What's Behind the Numbers?
Oil

Ever wonder what drives the cost of crude oil? Find out here.

Forceful Fluid: Scientists Discover a Starchy Substance with Oily Applications
At left, highly turbulent behavior as water flows into (clear) oil. At right, all turbulence is suppressed by using cornstarch. | Department of Energy Photo | Courtesy of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory | Public Domain

Researchers at the Energy Department’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) set out to find the proper mix of fluids needed to cap the powerful flow of oil that can occur during a spill, an objective that was principally driven by the failure of the top-kill method during last year's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. You'll be surprised what starchy substance made the grade.