According to the US Energy Administration, 57% of U.S. oil is imported from foreign countries. Importing and burning foreign oil negatively impacts our economy, national security and the environment. Oil contributes to the U.S trade deficit and is subject to major disruptions that cause price spikes, slowing economic recovery. The Center for American Progress has pointed out that the U.S. buys oil from governments that are considered “dangerous or unstable” by the State Department, including Algeria, Chad, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Additionally, burning fossil fuels contributes to global warming, which poses additional threats to national security. Because direct combustion provides a much more efficient energy pathway, wood used for home heating has a much higher capacity to reduce oil consumption than other uses of biomass, such as ethanol or power production.