Close to ASB, but not quite...
No imports could be aranged several ways. One rather far out way (and I don't claim this is at all likely, just an outside possibility) is this:
In the 1950's, the US Navy is looking for a better power plant than the fission plants the submarines use, and fusion is a theoretical possibility. (Another possibility is the nuclear powerd aircraft--fission power would never be practical for such a machine.) A Manhatan Project scale research program is put into place, and fusion power is developed in the 60's or 70's.
Although it is expensive, it scales up well, and, in 1981, the prototype synthetic fuel plant is in place, taking water and carbon dioxide, and creating hydrocarbons.
When oil prices get high, the government builds several more synthetic fuel plants, unvieling them at the same time OPEC declares that prices are going up. The government sets a price, depending on what it wants to acomplish, and the expence of producing.
Price slightly higer than OPEC's standard price forces them to keep things reasonable, without destroying them, or the domestic oil companies.
Prices a bit lower makes the domestic oil companies focus on distribution and the economical wells, and makes OPEC hurt some.
Prices very low smash OPEC forever, hurt the domestic oil companies some as they adjust to the new role as distributors, not sellers.
The US becomes the world's energy suplier, untlil the secret of fusion power is stolen, rediscovered, or given away.