U.S. refiners have largely phased out the use of Venezuelan crude oil

U.S. refiners have largely phased out the use of Venezuelan crude oil. Many U.S. refiners on the U.S. Gulf Coast (PADD 3) were designed to process medium and heavy grades of crude oil, such as those produced in Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela. Years of changes in both Venezuela and North America have led to a significant decline in the amount of Venezuelan crude oil that U.S. refiners process. 

Technological advancements in Canada and the United States have led to significant increases in crude oil production in both countries over the past two decades. As a result, U.S. pipeline infrastructure has been rerouted to flow south. Instead of shipping imported crude oil north from the U.S. Gulf Coast, U.S. production and Canada’s production flow south toward the U.S. Gulf Coast for use in U.S. refineries or for export.