Storage concerns probably. Also, bear in mind, America produced, on average, 18.6 million barrels of oil every day in 2021. We consumed about 19.8 million barrels a day during the same period while also exporting around 8.5 million barrels a day.

For a variety of reasons, like refinery setups and taking part in the global economy around import/export, we have chosen to leave ourselves susceptible to OPECs rigging of the global market prices...I'm sure its also just a coincidence that petroleum companies just happen to make record profits when costs are high. Almost as if they don't just raise the pump price to cover increased cost.