U.S. oil imports from Nicolas Maduro’s Venezuela up the same week the U.S. Senate passes legislation sanctioning officials in Caracas for human rights abuses. UPI Photo/Mohammad Kheirkhah The U.S. Energy Information Administration said in a status report the United States imported 896,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude oil per day for the week ending Dec. 5, up 66 percent from last week and 14.4 percent year-on-year. The increase in oil imports comes more than two months after the Venezuelan government shelved plans to sell Citgo , the U.S. subsidiary of state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela . A decline in global oil prices is hurting economies like Venezuela’s that rely heavily on oil exports for revenue. High inflation in the country is eroding consumer purchasing power by as much as 12 percent. In July, the government in Caracas said it could free up export volumes and to start directing oil […]