Americans are generally surprised to learn that more of the energy that the United States imports comes from Canada than from any other country. Really, you say? The United States imports 2.7 million barrels of crude oil and refined products from Canada every day, representing 24 percent of total petroleum imports—about twice what is imported from Saudi Arabia. Approximately 20 percent of the uranium used in U.S. nuclear power plants comes from Canada. And of the natural gas that the United States does import, 90 percent of it comes from Canada, which is 13 percent of U.S. natural gas consumption. The two countries’ electricity grid is deeply integrated, with all border states connected to a Canadian province. Hydroelectric power from Quebec, British Columbia, and Manitoba is already used to power well over a million homes in the United States.
About the Authors
David N. Biette
Deputy Director of the Council on State Governments--Eastern Regional Conference, New York; former Director of the Polar Initiative and former Director and Senior Advisor to the Canada Institute
Andrew Finn
Canada Institute
The mission of the Wilson Center's Canada Institute is to raise the level of knowledge of Canada in the United States, particularly within the Washington, DC policy community. Research projects, initiatives, podcasts, and publications cover contemporary Canada, US-Canadian relations, North American political economy, and Canada's global role as it intersects with US national interests. Read more
