Short-term U.S. oil imports up

WASHINGTON, June 19 (UPI) -- U.S. crude oil imports are lower than they were last year, though short-term data show an increase, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said.

EIA, the statistical arm of the Energy Department, said crude oil imports over a four-week period ending June 13 averaged 7.3 million barrels per day, 6.6 percent less than the same four-week period in 2013.

For the week, the United States imported on average 7.2 million bpd, which is up 88,000 bpd from the week ending June 6, EIA said in its weekly petroleum report, published Wednesday.

Canada was the top oil exporter to the United States for the week ending June 13. The country sent 2.7 million bpd on average to the U.S. market that week, up 53,000 barrels from the previous week.

Saudi Arabia was the No. 2 oil exporter to the U.S. market, sending an average 898,000 bpd to the United States, a decline of 198,000 bpd from the previous week.

Despite the overall increase in crude oil imports, EIA has said the United States is growing more energy independent in part because of the increase in production from domestic shale resources.

Enough energy was produced in the United States last year to meet more than 80 percent of the nation's demands, EIA has said.