The International Energy Agency says, by 2017 the United States is likely to overtake Saudi Arabia as the world's biggest oil producer. The Paris-based energy agency said in its annual forecast that the U.S. is drilling more crude oil through increased use of hydraulic fracturing of underground shale formations. The IEA said it expects the increased production could eventually make the world's largest economy nearly energy self-sufficient. The organization, which is made up of 28 nations, said the U.S. now imports enough oil to meet 20 percent of its energy needs. But the agency projected that North America would become a net oil exporter by about 2030 and the U.S. almost self-sufficient five years later. The forecast is a marked change for the IEA, which previously had predicted the Saudis would remain the world's top producer until 2035.