The idea is that Americans could switch en masse to natural gas vehicles, and the country could stop importing so much oil.

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But many cities are still without running water, and the country with the second-largest oil reserves in the world is importing gasoline.

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The US Energy Information Administration reckons that, if China's demand for oil grows by a modest 3.3% a year, the country will be importing nearly 11m barrels per day by 2025.

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For instance, millions of dollars recently allocated to repair the country's oil refineries simply disappeared while General Abacha's close associates made fortunes out of importing petrol.

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