February 20, 2025--Written by Daniel Graeber for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Though a special license allows for some Venezuelan crude oil to reach the United States, President Donald Trump said the country may be another target of his trade policies.

The U.S. refinery sector is dependent not on the light, sweet crude oil that comes from shale, but heavy, sour grades from the likes of Canada and Mexico, the top two oil exporters to the United States. Canada, with both its Cold Lake and Western Canadian Select classified as heavy, accounts for about 60% of total U.S. crude oil imports, or around 4 million barrels per day (BBL/d).