Not all crude oil is alike, and not all US refineries can refine the same grades of crude. For that matter, there are several types of crude oil we produce here that we cannot process here.
For the rest, due to obstructionism, sometimes there’s no economical way to get the oil from production point to a refinery but there is an economical way to get it to an export terminal. Think Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines.
You have correctly assessed the problem. Beyond what you’ve outlined, we need, in at least the short term, to use oil exports to drive OPEC out of business! Because in so doing, we take a large step in destroying the means by which the Muslim “world” gains the financial resources it needs to further it’s “jihad” on the non-Muslim “world!” Without oil, the whole Middle East goes back to sand dunes and camels as their money runs out, or at least that is a distinct possibility without oil revenue at the per barrel prices they need to stay afloat financially. Ditto for Russia. They all need $100+ per barrel prices or they go under.
> For that matter, there are several types of crude oil we produce here that we cannot process here.<
We have the technology to process ANY type of crude. We fought WWII using mainly crude from Venezuela which has a high viscosity but we were able to distill diesel, aviation fuel and gasoline from it in the Aruba refinery. Crude distillation is more complicated than making booze, but we have the technology down pat in every detail.