The united states depends on importing oil because it
a.
specializes in creating it themselves
b.
does not produce enough to meet its own demands
c.
can produce it cheaply
d.
cannot import it cheaply

The United States depends on importing oil because it does not produce enough to meet its own demands. Option B is correct.

The United States imports oil more than it exports, making it a net importer of petroleum. In 2017, imports met 19% of the country's demand for petroleum. Most of the petroleum imported by the U.S. is crude oil (70-80% of overall petroleum imports, varying slightly from year to year).

In the third quarter of 2018, the U.S. imported about 10.2 million barrels of petroleum per day,3 with the largest amounts coming from Canada.