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A comment on America produces enough oil to meet its needs, so why do we import crude?. Parent comment

Re:America produces enough oil to meet its needs, so why do ... by eloff on Tuesday March 08, 2022 @04:12PM (#30607038)
It's less about cost of living and more about the fact that all the expertise and parts all the way through the supply chain are in Asia. Bringing that industry to the US requires bringing many of the supporting industries too. It's no simple task and probably won't happen at this point.
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Re:America produces enough oil to meet its needs, so why do ... by shagie on Tuesday March 08, 2022 @10:34PM (#30610617)
... and the logistics of getting those parts.

Everything you need to build an iPhone is in one city. This is quite a bit like Detroit of the 50s - where the manufacturer and the entire supply chain for it is geographically compact.

Today, it is hard to find a geographically compact industrial chain within the US.

http://free.sourcemap.com/maps/57d154a89ca3b16d44e95e5e

Compare that to, say, the supply chain for the Ford F150 - https://open.sourcemap.com/maps/582b47c785e240e442569015

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Re:America produces enough oil to meet its needs, so why do ... by landemva on Tuesday March 08, 2022 @04:22PM (#30607205)
People expertise can be hired. That doesn't overcome the pollution allowances other countries have. It's cheaper and easier to pollute over there.
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Re:America produces enough oil to meet its needs, so why do ... by eloff on Tuesday March 08, 2022 @06:05PM (#30608567)
Is iPhone production very polluting? I don't think that factors into it very much really. More cost of labor, proximity to suppliers, and domain knowledge.
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Re:America produces enough oil to meet its needs, so why do ... by landemva on Tuesday March 08, 2022 @06:35PM (#30608883)
Chemical etching, perfluorocarbons, and massive water consumption is cheaper where pollution regulations are weak. Most of the lines are automated, so labor costs of a running line aren't the big cost issue. Environment and human health have few protections over there.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1566445/

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