Florida expects a record 4.6 million residents to travel for the Independence Day holiday with a majority taking road trips. That means higher costs than in past years.

So it seems fitting to ask this: Is America really energy independent?

Tom Seng is an associate professor at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, specializing in energy and economics. He said the United States is producing 14 million barrels of oil a day. But as of late, the peak summer travel season, refineries are using 17 million gallons a day.

When that happens, the U.S. turns to Canada and Venezuela.

“So immediately, when people talk about energy independence, it's really not the case. Immediately, we've got to get that extra 3 million barrels from somewhere," Seng said.

He said it would be great if the U.S. truly was energy independent — but it is not for the summer importing reasons as well as others that have to do with the lighter grade of the U.S. oil.

He said very little oil comes from the Persian Gulf, which begs the question: Why are prices — which were sent skyrocketing — tied to the war then?

It is because oil is a globally traded commodity, he said, adding that prices are dictated by worldwide supply. So, any disruption, like the war in Iran, causes big shifts in the market, he said.

"So it's a very weird dynamic, but the point is the imported oil is priced at the global price level, which has been considerably higher," he said.

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