Wednesday, May 25, 2016

You might be surprised by the answer to this question: "Guess who produces the most oil and gas in the world?"

This question and the answer comes from Grist:

     The U.S. led the world last year in producing both oil and gas [emphasis added], federal government estimates published Monday show, even as the country committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
     The U.S. was the globe’s leading producer of crude oil for the third year in a row in 2015. Government estimates show that crude oil production has continued to grow across the country, from nearly 8 million barrels of oil per day in 2008 to about 15 million in 2015. The U.S. produced about 14 million barrels per day in 2014.
     Thanks to the fracking boom, which unlocked previously hard-to-reach shale oil and gas, the U.S. surpassed Saudi Arabia and Russia to become the world’s leading producer of oil in 2013. The U.S. became the top natural gas producer in 2011, and has led the world in both oil and gas production together for four years in a row.