U.S. Energy: Overview and Selected Facts and
Numbers
Carl E. Behrens
Specialist in Energy Policy
Carol Glover
Information Research Specialist
March 18, 2009
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
R40187
CRS Report for Congress
P
repared for Members and Committees of Congress

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U.S. Energy: Overview and Selected Facts and Numbers

Summary
Energy supplies and prices are major economic factors in the United States, and energy markets
are volatile and unpredictable. Thus, energy policy has been a recurring issue for Congress since
the first major crisis in the 1970s. As an aid in policy making, this report presents a current and
historical view of the supply and consumption of various forms of energy.
The historical trends show petroleum as the major source of energy, rising from about 38% in
1950 to 45% in 1975, then declining to about 40% in response to the energy crisis of the 1970s.
Significantly, the transportation sector has been and continues to be almost completely dependent
on petroleum, mostly gasoline. The importance of this dependence on the volatile world oil
market was revealed over the past five years as perceptions of impending inability of the industry
to meet increasing world demand led to relentless increases in the prices of oil and gasoline. With
the downturn in the world economy and a consequent decline in consumption, prices collapsed,
but the dependence on imported oil continues as a potential problem.
Natural gas followed a similar pattern at a lower level, increasing its share of total energy from
about 17% in 1950 to more than 30% in 1970, then declining to about 20%. Consumption of coal
in 1950 was 35% of the total, almost equal to oil, but it declined to about 20% a decade later and
has remained at about that proportion since then. Coal currently is used almost exclusively for
electric power generation.
Nuclear power started coming online in significant amounts in the late 1960s. By 1975, in the
midst of the oil crisis, it was supplying 9% of total electricity generation. However, increases in
capital costs, construction delays, and public opposition to nuclear power following the Three
Mile Island accident in 1979 curtailed expansion of the technology, and many construction
projects were cancelled. Continuation of some construction increased the nuclear share of
generation to 20% in 1990, where it remains currently. The first new reactor license applications
in nearly 30 years were recently submitted, but no new plants are currently under construction or
on order.
Construction of major hydroelectric projects has also essentially ceased, and hydropower’s share
of electricity generation has gradually declined, from 30% in 1950 to 15% in 1975 and less than
10% in 2000. However, hydropower remains highly important on a regional basis.
Renewable energy sources (except hydropower) continue to offer more potential than actual
energy production, although fuel ethanol has become a significant factor in transportation fuel,
and wind power has recently grown rapidly. Conservation and energy efficiency have shown
significant gains over the past three decades and offer encouraging potential to relieve some of
the dependence on imports that has caused economic difficulties in the past, as well as the
present.
After an introductory overview of aggregate energy consumption, this report presents detailed
analysis of trends and statistics regarding specific energy sources: oil, electricity, natural gas, coal
and renewable energy. A section on trends in energy efficiency is also presented.

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U.S. Energy: Overview and Selected Facts and Numbers

Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
Oil .............................................................................................................................................. 6
Petroleum Consumption, Supply, and Imports ....................................................................... 7
Petroleum and Transportation.............................................................................................. 10
Petroleum Prices: Historical Trends..................................................................................... 12
Petroleum Prices: The 2004-2008 Bubble............................................................................ 15
Gasoline Taxes.................................................................................................................... 18
Electricity ................................................................................................................................. 18
Other Conventional Energy Resources ...................................................................................... 22
Natural Gas......................................................................................................................... 22
Coal .......................................................................................................................................... 26
Renewables............................................................................................................................... 27
Conservation and Energy Efficiency.......................................................................................... 29
Vehicle Fuel Economy ........................................................................................................ 29
Energy Consumption and GDP............................................................................................ 30
Major Statistical Resources ....................................................................................................... 32
Energy Information Administration (EIA) ........................................................................... 32
EIA home page—http://www.eia.doe.gov...................................................................... 32
EIA, Publications and Reports—http://www.eia.doe.gov/bookshelf.html ....................... 32
Other Sources ..................................................................................................................... 33

Figures
Figure 1. Per Capita Energy Consumption in Transportation and Residential Sectors,
1949-2007................................................................................................................................ 3
Figure 2. Electricity Intensity: Commercial, Residential, and Industrial Sectors, 1949-
2007 ........................................................................................................................................ 4
Figure 3. U.S. Energy Consumption, 1950-2007.......................................................................... 6
Figure 4. World Crude Oil Reserves, 1973, 1991 and 2008 .......................................................... 7
Figure 5. U.S. Dependence on Imported Petroleum, 1960-2007................................................. 10
Figure 6. Transportation Use of Petroleum, 1950-2007 .............................................................. 12
Figure 7. Nominal and Real Cost of Crude Oil to Refiners, 1968-2007 and December
2008 ...................................................................................................................................... 13
Figure 8. Nominal and Real Price of Gasoline, 1950-2008 and January 2009............................. 14
Figure 9. Consumer Spending on Oil as a Percentage of GDP, 1970-2005 ................................. 15
Figure 10. Crude Oil Futures Prices, January 2000 to February 2009......................................... 16
Figure 11. Average Daily Nationwide Price of Unleaded Gasoline, January 2002 – March
2009 ...................................................................................................................................... 17
Figure 12. U.S. Gasoline Consumption, January 2000 – January 2009....................................... 18
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Selected Facts and Numbers

Figure 13. Electricity Generation by Source, Selected Years, 1950-2007.................................... 19
Figure 14. Changes in Generating Capacity, 1995 - 2007........................................................... 20
Figure 15. Price of Retail Residential Electricity, 1960-2007 ..................................................... 22
Figure 16. Natural Gas Prices to Electricity Generators, 1978 - 2007......................................... 24
Figure 17. Monthly and Annual Residential Natural Gas Prices, 2000 – October 2008............... 25
Figure 18. Annual Residential Natural Gas Prices, 1973-2007 ................................................... 26
Figure 19. U.S. Ethanol Production, 1980-2007 and Jan.-Oct. 2008........................................... 28
Figure 20. Wind Electricity Net Generation, 1989-2007............................................................. 29
Figure 21. Motor Vehicle Efficiency Rates, 1973-2007.............................................................. 30
Figure 22. Oil and Natural Gas Consumption per Dollar of GDP, 1973 - 2007 ........................... 31
Figure 23. Change in Oil and Natural Gas Consumption and Growth in GDP, 1973-2007 .......... 32

Tables
Table 1. U.S. Energy Consumption, 1950-2007 ........................................................................... 2
Table 2. Energy Consumption in British Thermal Units (BTU) and as a Percentage of
Total, 1950-2007...................................................................................................................... 5
Table 3. Petroleum Consumption by Sector, 1950-2007............................................................... 8
Table 4. U.S. Petroleum Production, 1950-2007 .......................................................................... 9
Table 5. Transportation Use of Petroleum, 1950-2007................................................................ 11
Table 6. Electricity Generation by Region and Fuel, 2007.......................................................... 21
Table 7. Natural Gas Consumption by Sector, 1950-2007 .......................................................... 23
Table 8. Coal Consumption by Sector, 1950-2007 ..................................................................... 27

Contacts
Author Contact Information ...................................................................................................... 34
Key Policy Staff........................................................................................................................ 34

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U.S. Energy: Overview and Selected Facts and Numbers

Introduction
Tracking changes in energy activity is complicated by variations in different energy markets.
These markets, for the most part, operate independently, although events in one may influence
trends in another. For instance, oil price movement can affect the price of natural gas, which then
plays a significant role in the price of electricity. Since aggregate indicators of total energy
production and consumption do not adequately reflect these complexities, this compendium
focuses on the details of individual energy sectors. Primary among these are oil, particularly
gasoline for transportation, and electricity generation and consumption. Natural gas is also an
important energy source, for home heating as well as in industry and electricity generation. Coal
is used almost entirely for electricity generation, nuclear and hydropower completely so.
Renewable sources (except hydropower) continue to offer more potential than actual energy
production, although fuel ethanol has become a significant factor in transportation fuel, and wind
power has recently grown rapidly. Conservation and energy efficiency have shown significant
gains over the past three decades, and offer encouraging potential to relieve some of the
dependence on imports that has caused economic difficulties in the past as well as the present.
To give a general view of energy consumption trends, Table 1 shows consumption by economic
sector—residential, commercial, transportation, and industry—from 1950 to the present. To
supplement this overview, some of the trends are highlighted by graphs in Figures 1 and 2.
In viewing these figures, a note on units of energy may be helpful. Each source has its own unit
of energy. Oil consumption, for instance, is measured in million barrels per day (mbd),1 coal in
million tons per year, natural gas in trillion cubic feet (tcf) per year. To aggregate various types of
energy in a single table, a common measure, British Thermal Unit (Btu), is often used. In Table 1,
energy consumption by sector is given in units of quadrillion Btus per year, or “quads,” while per
capita consumption is given in million Btus (MMBtu) per year. One quad corresponds to one tcf
of natural gas, or approximately 50 million tons of coal. One million barrels per day of oil is
approximately 2 quads per year. One million Btus is equivalent to approximately 293 kilowatt-
hours (Kwh) of electricity. Electric power generating capacity is expressed in terms of kilowatts
(Kw), megawatts (Mw, equals 1,000 Kw) or gigawatts (Gw, equals 1,000 Mw). Gas-fired plants
are typically about 250 Mw, coal-fired plants usually more than 500 Mw, and large nuclear
powerplants are typically about 1.2 Gw in capacity.
Table 1 shows that total U.S. energy consumption almost tripled since 1950, with the industrial
sector, the heaviest energy user, growing at the slowest rate. The growth in energy consumption
per capita (i.e., per person) over the same period was about 50%. As Figure 1 illustrates, much of
the growth in per capita energy consumption took place before 1970.
Table 1 does not list the consumption of energy by the electricity sector separately because it is
both a producer and a consumer of energy. For the residential, commercial, industrial, and
transportation sectors, the consumption figures given are the sum of the resources (such as oil and

1 Further complications can result from the fact that not all sources use the same abbreviations for the various units.
The Energy Information Administration (EIA), for example, abbreviates “million barrels per day” as “MMbbl/d” rather
than “mbd.” For a list of EIA’s abbreviation forms for energy terms, see http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/a-z/a-z_abbrev/a-
z_abbrev.html.
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Selected Facts and Numbers

gas) that are directly consumed plus the total energy used to produce the electricity each sector
consumed—that is, both the energy value of the kilowatt-hours consumed and the energy lost in
generating that electricity. As Figure 2 demonstrates, a major trend during the period was the
electrification of the residential and commercial sectors and, to a lesser extent, industry. By 2007,
electricity (including the energy lost in generating it) represented about 70% of residential energy
consumption, about 80% of commercial energy consumption, and about a third of industrial
energy consumption.2
Table 1. U.S. Energy Consumption, 1950-2007
Energy Consumption by Sector
Consumption Per Capita
(Quadrillion Btu)
(Million Btu)
Population

Resid. Comm. Indust. Trans. Total (millions)
Total Resid. Trans.
1950 6.0 3.9 16.2 8.5 34.6 152.3
227.3 39.4 55.8
1955 7.3 3.9 19.5 9.6 40.2 165.9
242.3 44.0 57.6
1960 9.1 4.6 20.8 10.6 45.1
80.7
249.6 50.2 58.7
1965 10.7 5.8 25.1 12.4 54.0
94.3
278.0 55.0 64.0
1970 13.8 8.3 29.6 16.1 67.8 205.1
330.9 67.3 78.5
1975 14.8 9.5 29.4 18.2 72.0 216.0
333.4 68.7 84.5
1980 15.8 10.6 32.1 19.7 78.1 227.2
343.8 69.5 86.7
1985 16.1 11.4 28.9 20.1 76.5 237.9
321.5 67.6 84.4
1990 17.0 13.3 31.9 22.4 84.7 249.6
339.1 68.2 89.8
1995 18.6 14.7 34.0 23.8 91.2 266.3
342.4 69.8 89.6
2000 20.5 17.2 34.8 26.6 99.0 282.2
350.7 72.6 94.1
2005 21.7 17.9 32.5 28.4 100.5 295.9
339.7 73.4 95.8
2006 20.9 17.7 32.4 28.9 99.9 298.8
334.2 69.8 96.6
2007P 21.8 18.4 32.3 29.1 101.6 301.6
336.8 72.1 96.5
Source: Energy Information Administration (EIA), Annual Energy Review 2007, Tables 2.1a and D1.
Per capita data calculated by CRS.
Notes: Data for 2007 are preliminary.

2 In calculating these percentages, “electric energy consumption” includes both the energy value of the kilowatt-hours
consumed and the energy lost in generating that electricity.
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Selected Facts and Numbers

Figure 1. Per Capita Energy Consumption in Transportation and Residential Sectors,
1949-2007
120
100
ita
p
a
r C
80
e
p
Transportation
ed
um
60
ons
Residential
C
U
T
40
n B
illio
M
20
2007P
0
1949
1954
1959
1964
1969
1974
1979
1984
1989
1994
1999
2004

Source: Energy Information Administration (EIA), Annual Energy Review 2007, Tables 2.1a and D1. Per capita
data calculated by CRS.
Notes: Data for 2007 are preliminary.
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Selected Facts and Numbers

Figure 2. Electricity Intensity: Commercial, Residential, and Industrial Sectors,
1949-2007
100%
e
s
U
gy
80%
er
l En
ta
o
T
Commercial
s'
60%
tor
Sec
t of
Residential
n
e
40%
rc
e
P
Industrial
ity as
20%
tric
ec
El
2007P
0%
1949
1954
1959
1964
1969
1974
1979
1984
1989
1994
1999
2004

Source: Energy Information Administration (EIA), Annual Energy Review 2007, Tables 2.1a and D1. Per capita
data calculated by CRS.
Notes: Data for 2007 are preliminary.
Consumption of major energy resources—petroleum, natural gas, and coal—is presented in Table
2 and Figure 3. The historical trends show that petroleum has been and continues to be the major
source of energy, rising from about 38% in 1950 to 45% in 1975, then declining to about 40% in
response to the energy crisis of the 1970s. Natural gas followed a similar pattern at a lower level,
increasing its share of total energy from about 17% in 1950 to over 30% in 1970, then declining
to about 20%. Consumption of coal in 1950 was 35% of the total, almost equal to oil, but it
declined to about 20% a decade later and has remained at about that proportion since then.


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U.S. Energy: Overview and Selected Facts and Numbers

Table 2. Energy Consumption in British Thermal Units (BTU) and as a
Percentage of Total, 1950-2007
(Quadrillion BTU)
Petroleum
Natural Gas
Coal
Other

% of
% of
% of
% of

Quads
total
Quads
total
Quads
total
Quads
total
Total
1950 13.3 38.4 6
17.3 12.3 35.5 3.0 8.6 34.6
1955 17.3 43.0 9
22.4 11.2 27.8 2.8 7.0 40.2
1960 19.9 44.1 12.4 27.5 9.8 21.7 3.0 6.5 45.1
1965 23.2 42.9 15.8 29.2 11.6 21.4 3.4 6.4 54.0
1970 29.5 43.5 21.8 32.1 12.2 18.0 4.3 6.4 67.8
1975 32.7 45.4 19.9 27.6 12.7 17.7 6.6 9.2 72.0
1980 34.2 43.8 20.4 26.1 15.4 19.7 8.3 10.6 78.1
1985 30.9 40.4 17.8 23.3 17.5 22.9 10.4 13.6 76.5
1990 33.6 39.7 19.7 23.3 19.2 22.7 12.3 14.6 84.7
1995 34.6 37.9 22.8 25.0 20.2 22.1 13.9 15.3 91.2
2000 38.4 38.8 23.9 24.1 22.7 22.9 14.2 14.4 99.0
2005 40.4 40.2 22.6 22.5 22.8 22.7 14.7 14.6 100.5
2006 40.0 40.0 22.2 22.2 22.5 22.5 15.2 15.2 99.9
2007P
39.8 39.2 23.6 23.3 22.8 22.4 15.4 15.1 101.6
Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2007, Table 1.3.
Notes: Percentages calculated by CRS. Other includes nuclear and renewable energy. Data for 2007 are
preliminary.
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Figure 3. U.S. Energy Consumption, 1950-2007
120
100
Other
80
U
T
B
n
o
60
lli
ri
d
a
Coal
u
Q
Coal
40
Natural Gas
20
Petroleum
0
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2007P

Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2007, Table 1.3.
Notes: “Other” includes nuclear and renewable energy. Data for 2007 are preliminary.
Oil
About 40% of the energy consumed in the United States is supplied by petroleum, and that
proportion has remained approximately the same since 1950, as the data in the previous section
show. Also unchanged is the almost total dependence of the transportation sector on petroleum,
mostly gasoline.
The perception that the world is on the verge of running out of oil, widespread during the 1970s,
has changed, however. The rapid price increases at that time, aided by improved exploration and
production technology, stimulated a global search for oil and resulted in the discovery of large
amounts of new reserves. Indeed, as concerns about tightening supply and continually increasing
prices were at a peak, proven reserves actually increased by about 50% between 1973 and 1990.
Some of the increase was in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in Mexico, but most was located in
the region that already dominated the world oil market, the Middle East. With prices essentially
steady during the 1990s, the search for oil slowed, but additions to reserves during the decade
exceeded the amount of oil pumped out of the ground. By 2003, improved technology for
retrieving petroleum from oil sands in Canada and, to a lesser extent, from heavy oil in Venezuela
led to significant production from these resources, and by 2005, approximately 200 billion barrels
of resources from oil sands and heavy oil were added to the total of proven world reserves, 20%
of the total 1991 figure. These trends are illustrated in Figure 4.
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Figure 4. World Crude Oil Reserves, 1973, 1991 and 2008
Far East & Oceania
1400
Africa
1200
Far East & Oceania
1000
Africa
ls
Middle East
rre
a
800
Far East & Oceania
f B
o
s
n
600
Africa
io
Middle East
ill
B
Middle East
Eurasia
400
Europe
Eurasia
Western
200
Eurasia
Europe
Hemisphere
Western
Western Hemisphere
Hemisphere
0
1973
1991
2008

Source: EIA, International Energy Annual (IEA) 1990, Table 32 and IEA 2007 Table 8.1 Table of World Proved
Oil and Natural Gas Reserves, Most Recent Estimates. (data is from Oil and Gas Journal and is not certified by
EIA, except for the data for the United States in the Western Hemisphere category).
Notes: The categories “Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union” and “Western Europe,” in the data for 1973
and 1991, were changed to “Eurasia” and “Europe” respectively for 2005. Seven countries (Albania, Bulgaria,
Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia) were moved from the former to the latter.
Petroleum Consumption, Supply, and Imports
Consumption of petroleum by sector reflects a variety of trends (see Table 3). In the residential
and commercial sectors, petroleum consumption grew steadily from 1950 to 1970, while
accounting for about 15% of total petroleum consumption. After the price surge in the 1970s,
consumption in those sectors declined, falling to less than 7% of total petroleum consumption by
1995. When oil prices surged again after 2005, consumption declined further, to about 5%. Usage
in the electric power sector followed a similar but more abrupt pattern. Until 1965 only about 3%
of petroleum went to power generation. In the late 1960s efforts to improve air quality by
reducing emissions led utilities to convert a number of coal-fired power plants to burn oil, and
many new plants were designed to burn oil or natural gas. Utilities found themselves committed
to increasing dependence on oil just at the time of shortages and high prices; in 1975 almost 9%
of oil consumption went for power production. Consumption then fell sharply as alternate sources
became available, declining to about 2%-3% of total consumption and falling even lower after
2005 as oil prices increased sharply.
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Table 3. Petroleum Consumption by Sector, 1950-2007
(Million Barrels per Day (MBD) and Percentage of Total)
Residential &
Commercial
Industrial Electric Transportation
Total

MBD % of total MBD % of total MBD % of total MBD % of total MBD
1950
1.1 16.5% 1.8 28.0% 0.2 3.2%
3.4 51.6% 6.5
1955
1.4 16.5% 2.4 28.1% 0.2 2.4%
4.5 52.4% 8.5
1960
1.7 17.5% 2.7 27.6% 0.2 2.5%
5.1 52.4% 9.8
1965
1.9 16.6% 3.2 27.2% 0.3 2.7%
6.0 52.5% 11.5
1970
2.2 14.9% 3.8 25.9% 0.9 6.3%
7.8 52.9% 14.7
1975
1.9 11.9% 4.0 24.8% 1.4 8.5%
9.0 54.9% 16.3
1980
1.5 8.9%
4.8 28.3% 1.2 6.7%
9.5 55.8% 17.1
1985
1.3 8.6%
4.1 25.9% 0.5 3.0%
9.8 62.7% 15.7
1990
1.2 7.2%
4.3 25.3% 0.6 3.3%
10.9 64.0% 17.0
1995
1.1 6.4%
4.6 26.0% 0.3 1.9%
11.7 65.9% 17.7
2000
1.3 6.5%
4.9 24.9% 0.5 2.6%
13.0 66.1% 19.7
2005
1.2 5.8%
5.1 24.5% 0.5 2.6%
14.0 67.1% 20.8
2006
1.1 5.2%
5.1 24.8% 0.3 1.4%
14.2 68.6% 20.7
2007
1.1 5.2%
5.1 24.4% 0.3 1.4%
14.3 68.9% 20.7
Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2007, Tables 5.1 and 5.13a-d.
Notes: Percentages calculated by CRS.
Industrial consumption of petroleum, which includes such large consumers as refineries and
petrochemical industries, has remained about 25% of total consumption since 1970. As other
sectors’ share fell, transportation, which was a little more than half of total consumption prior to
1975, climbed to two-thirds by 2000 and continued to increase its share since then.
While petroleum consumption increased throughout the period from 1950 to the present (except
for a temporary decline following the price surge of the 1970s), U.S. domestic production peaked
in 1970 (see Table 4). The result, as shown in Figure 5, was greater dependence on imported
petroleum, which rose from less than 20% in 1960 to about 60% in recent years.



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Table 4. U.S. Petroleum Production, 1950-2007
(Million Barrels per Day)
Crude Oil
Gas Liquids
Other
Total

48 States
Alaska
Total




1950

5.4 — 5.4
0.5
— 5.9
1955

6.8 — 6.8
0.8
— 7.6
1960 7
—
7
0.9
0.2
8.1
1965

7.8 — 7.8
1.2
0.2 9.2
1970 9.4
0.2
9.6
1.7
0.4
11.7
1975 8.2
0.2
8.4
1.6
0.5
10.5
1980 7
1.6
8.6
1.6
0.6
10.8
1985 7.2
1.8
9
1.6
0.6
11.1
1990 5.6
1.8
7.4
1.6
0.7
9.6
1995 5.1
1.5
6.6
1.8
0.8
9.1
2000 4.9
1.0
5.8
1.9
1.0
8.7
2005 4.3
0.9
5.2
1.7
1.0
7.9
2006 4.4
0.7
5.1
1.7
1.0
7.8
2007 4.4
0.7
5.1
1.8
1.0
7.9
Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2007, Table 5.1.
Notes: “Other” includes processing gain.
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Figure 5. U.S. Dependence on Imported Petroleum, 1960-2007
100%
.
.S
U
80%
by
d
e
m
u
s
n
o
60%
il C
d O
te
por
40%
m
f I
o
ge
ta
n
e
20%
rc
e
P
2008
*
0%
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005

Source: EIA, Monthly Energy Review, December 2008, Table 3.3a, and Annual Energy Review 1986, Table 51.
Notes: Data for 2008 represents an 11-month average.
Petroleum and Transportation
Since the transportation sector is so heavily dependent on petroleum, and uses so much of it,
Table 5 and Figure 6 present a more detailed breakdown of the various types of petroleum used.






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Table 5. Transportation Use of Petroleum, 1950-2007
(Million barrels per day)
Aviation
Diesel
Fuel
Gasoline
Other
Total
1950 0.1 0.2 2.4 0.6 3.4
1955 0.3 0.4 3.2 0.5 4.5
1960 0.5 0.4 3.7 0.4 5.1
1965 0.7 0.5 4.4 0.4 6.0
1970 1.0 0.7 5.6 0.4 7.8
1975 1.0 1.0 6.5 0.4 9.0
1980 1.1 1.3 6.4 0.7 9.5
1985 1.2 1.5 6.7 0.4 9.8
1990 1.5 1.7 7.1 0.5
10.9
1995 1.5 2.0 7.7 0.5
11.7
2000 1.7 2.4 8.4 0.5
13.0
2005 1.7 2.9 8.9 0.5
14.0
2006 1.7 3.0 9.0 0.5
14.2
2007P 1.6
3.0
9.1 0.5 14.3
Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2007, Table 5.13c.
Notes: Data for 2007 are preliminary.
Aviation fuel includes both aviation gasoline and kerosene jet fuel. In 1950 aviation was almost
entirely gasoline powered; by 2000 it was 99% jet fueled. The growth in flying is illustrated by
the fact that aviation fuel was only 3% of petroleum consumption for transportation in 1950, but
had grown to 12% in 1965 and has maintained that share since then.
Diesel fuel consumption showed a similar dramatic increase. About 6% of total petroleum
consumption for transportation in 1950, it rose to 11% by 1975 and to 20% in recent years. Diesel
fuel is used by a number of transportation sectors. Part of the increase involved the change of
railroads from coal-fired steam to diesel and diesel-electric power. Diesel fuel is used also in the
marine transportation sector, and some private automobiles are diesel-powered. The major part of
diesel fuel consumption in transportation is by large commercial trucks. Total diesel fuel
consumption increased from about 200,000 barrels per day in 1950 to 3.0 million barrels per day
in 2007.
Most of the petroleum consumed in the transportation sector is motor gasoline. In 1950 it was
71% of total sector petroleum consumption, and in recent years, despite the increase in aviation
fuel and diesel, it has been about 65%. Since 1950, gasoline consumption has almost quadrupled.
Of the other petroleum products consumed in the transportation sector, the largest is residual fuel
oil, most of which is used in large marine transport. Consumption of residual fuel oil in the
transportation sector was about 500,000 barrels in 1950, and declined gradually to about 400,000
in 2000.
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Figure 6. Transportation Use of Petroleum, 1950-2007
20
15
y
a
D
r
e
p
ls
10
rre
a
B
n
o
illi
M
Gasoline
5
Diesel Fuel
Other
2007
Aviation
0
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005

Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2007, Table 5.13c.
Notes: Data for 2007 are preliminary.
Petroleum Prices: Historical Trends
Most commodity prices are typically volatile. Because oil is widely consumed, and is so
important at all levels of the economy, its price is closely watched and analyzed. Especially since
the 1970s, when a generally stable market dominated by a few large oil companies was broken by
the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cartel and a relatively open world
market came into being, the price of crude oil has been particularly volatile. Figure 7 and Figure
8 show the long-term trends of crude oil and gasoline prices, in both current dollars and deflated
dollars. The data for these charts show only the beginning of the collapse in oil prices that began
in October 2008. (See “Petroleum Prices: The 2004-2008 Bubble” below.)
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Figure 7. Nominal and Real Cost of Crude Oil to Refiners, 1968-2007 and December
2008
$80
$70
$60
il
O
e
d
ru $50
f C
l o
Real Dollars (2000)
rre $40
a
Dec.'08
r B
e
p $30
rs
lla
o
D $20
$10
Nominal Dollars
2007
$0
1968
1973
1978
1983
1988
1993
1998
2003
12/08

Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2007, Table 5.21 and Monthly Energy Review, February 2009, Table 9.1
Notes: Composite crude oil refiner acquisition cost as reported by EIA.
At the consumer level, prices of products such as motor gasoline and heating oil have reacted to
price and supply disruptions in ways that have been modulated by various government and
industry policies and international events. A significant and not often noted fact is that, like many
commodities, the long-term trend in gasoline prices, adjusted for inflation and excluding
temporary surges, has been down. As shown in Figure 8, the real price of gasoline peaked in
1980, then fell precipitously in the mid-1980s. The recent surge in prices brought the price above
the peak of 1980 (in real dollars).
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Figure 8. Nominal and Real Price of Gasoline, 1950-2008 and January 2009
$3.50
2008
$3.00
e
2007
$2.50
lin
so
a
f G $2.00
o
n
Real Dollars (2000)
llo
a
Jan.'09
G $1.50
per
s
llar $1.00
Do
Nominal Dollars
$0.50
2008
2007
$0.00
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005

Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2007, Table 5.24 and Monthly Energy Review, February 2009, Table 9.4.
Notes: Average national retail price per gallon of unleaded regular gasoline, including taxes.
Figure 9 illustrates the proportion of the gross domestic product (GDP) dedicated to consumer
spending on oil. The price surges in the 1970s pushed this ratio from about 4.5% before the Arab
oil embargo to about 8.5% following the crisis in Iran late in the decade. Following that, it
declined to less than 4%; during the recent run-up of prices the trend started back up again.
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Selected Facts and Numbers

Figure 9. Consumer Spending on Oil as a Percentage of GDP, 1970-2005
10%
P
f GD
o
8%
e
g
a
ent
rc
e
P
6%
s
il a
O
on
ng
4%
ndi
e
p
S
er
2%
um
ns
Co
0%
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005

Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2007, Table 3.5 and Table D1 for GDP in billions of nominal dollars.
Percentages calculated by CRS.
Petroleum Prices: The 2004-2008 Bubble
Beginning in 2004 the world price of crude oil, and with it the price of gasoline, began to
increase. Unlike the previous increases in the 1970s, there was no interruption or shortage in the
supply of either petroleum or its products, except for a few months in the fall of 2005 when
Hurricane Katrina shut down a major portion of U.S. refinery capacity. Nevertheless, an
unexpected surge in demand for oil imports to China, added to continuing increases in demand
from Europe and the United States as economies continued to grow, tightened the production
capacity of the major oil producing nations and signaled that demand in the near future might not
be met. In addition, turmoil in the Middle East and elsewhere, as well as the possibility of further
natural disasters like Katrina, threatened supply interruptions and put further upward pressure on
prices. (See Figures 10 and 11.)
As prices continued to climb, it became apparent that demand for gasoline was relatively
insensitive to its cost to the consumer. Throughout the period, as illustrated in Figure 12,
consumption of gasoline varied seasonally but continued an upward trend on an annual basis. In
the summer of 2008 crude oil prices soared far beyond the actual cost of production, and the
market took on features of a classical commodities bubble, with expectations of indefinitely rising
prices and participation in the market by many who would not normally enter it.
The bubble burst in October 2008 with the onset of a financial crisis in the housing and banking
sectors and the evidence that consumption of gasoline was finally faltering. As the economic
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crisis became more acute, crude prices fell in a few months from $135 per barrel to close to $40,
where they had been at the start of the run-up five years earlier.
Figure 10. Crude Oil Futures Prices, January 2000 to February 2009
$160
$140
l $120
Oi
e
ud $100
f Cr
l o
re
$80
r Bar
Pe
$60
rs
la
Dol
$40
$20
Feb '09
$0
Jan-
Jul-
Jan-
Jul-
Jan-
Jul-
Jan-
Jul-
Jan-
Jul-
Jan-
Jul-
Jan-
Jul-
Jan-
Jul-
Jan-
Jul-
Jan-
00
00
01
01
02
02
03
03
04
04
05
05
06
06
07
07
08
08
09

Source: EIA, NYMEX Futures Prices Crude Oil (Light-Sweet, Cushing, Oklahoma) Cushing, OK Crude Oil
Future Contract 1
Notes: The futures prices shown are the official daily closing prices at 2:30 p.m. from the trading floor of the
New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) for a specific delivery month for each product listed.
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Figure 11. Average Daily Nationwide Price of Unleaded Gasoline,
January 2002 – March 2009
$4.50
$4.00
$3.50
n
llo
a $3.00
r G
e
p
rs $2.50
lla
o
D
$2.00
$1.50
$1.00
l
t
3
l
t
l
t
l
ct
l
t
7
l
t
t
ar
'02 Apr
Ju Oc
Apr Ju Oc '04 Apr Ju Oc
05 Apr Ju O
'06 Apr Ju Oc
Apr Ju Oc '08 Apr Jul Oc
09M
Jan
Jan '0
Jan
Jan '
Jan
Jan '0
Jan
Jan '

Source: Daily Fuel Gauge Report, American Automobile Association, http://www.fuelgaugereport.com,
compiled by CRS.
Notes: Prices include federal, state, and local taxes. Last date above is March 18, 2009; $1.92.
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Selected Facts and Numbers

Figure 12. U.S. Gasoline Consumption, January 2000 – January 2009
10
Annual Averages
9.5
y
a
9
D
r
e
p
ls
8.5
rre
Monthly Averages
a
B
n
o
illi
8
M
7.5
7
Jan
Jul
Jan
Jul
Jan
Jul
Jan
Jul
Jan
Jul
Jan
Jul
Jan
Jul
Jan
Jul
Jan
Jul
Jan
'00
'01
'02
'03
'04
'05
'06
'07
'08
'09

Source: EIA, Monthly Energy Review, February 2009, Table 3.5.
Gasoline Taxes
The federal tax on gasoline is currently 18.4 cents per gallon. An extensive list of the gasoline and
diesel fuel tax rates imposed by each state per gallon of motor fuel is maintained and updated by
the American Petroleum Institute (API), “Notes to State Motor Fuel Excise and Other Tax Rates,”
at [http://www.api.org/statistics/fueltaxes/upload/MotorFuelNotesJan20092.pdf].
Electricity
While overall energy consumption in the United States increased nearly three-fold since 1950,
electricity consumption increased even more rapidly. Annual power generation is ten times what
it was in 1950. Figure 13 illustrates the trend.
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Figure 13. Electricity Generation by Source, Selected Years, 1950-2007
4,500
3,750
Other
rs 3,000
tthou
wa 2,250
ilo
Hydroelectric
Nuclear
illion K
B 1,500
Natural Gas
Petroleum
Coal
750
0
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2007
Coal
Petroleum
Natural Gas
Nuclear
Hydroelectric
Other

Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2007, Table 8.2a
Throughout this period, coal was used to generate about half the rapidly increasing amount of
electricity consumed. Petroleum became briefly important as a source of power generation in the
late 1960s because it resulted in lower emissions of air pollutants, and consumption continued in
the 1970s despite the price surge because natural gas was in short supply. By the 1980s, however,
oil consumption by utilities dropped sharply, and in 2007 only 1.2% of power generation was oil-
fired.
Natural gas generation has a more complicated history. Consumption by the electric power
industry increased gradually as access by pipeline became more widespread. With the price
increase in oil in the 1970s, demand for gas also increased, but interstate prices were regulated,
and gas availability declined. In addition, federal energy policy viewed generation of electricity
by gas to be a wasteful use of a diminishing resource. The Fuel Use Act of 1978 prohibited new
power generators from using gas and set a timetable for shutting down existing gas-fired plants.
Gas prices were later deregulated, resulting in increased production, and the Fuel Use Act was
repealed, but in the meantime generation of electricity from gas fell from 24% in 1970 to 12% in
1985. In the 1990s gas became more popular as technology improved, and by 2000 was supplying
16% of total electric generation. Most capacity additions in the last decade have been gas-fired, as
illustrated in Figure 14. The increased demand contributed to high prices in 2000 that were felt
particularly in California.
Nuclear power started coming on line in significant amounts in the late 1960s, and by 1975, in the
midst of the oil crisis, was supplying 9% of total generation. However, increases in capital costs,
construction delays, and public opposition to nuclear power following the Three Mile Island
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accident in 1979 curtailed expansion of the technology, and many construction projects were
cancelled. Continuation of some construction increased the nuclear share of generation to 20% in
1990, where it remains currently. Recently, plans have been announced for license applications
for up to 30 new reactors, and several have been submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, but no new plants are currently under construction or on order.
Construction of major hydroelectric projects has also essentially ceased, and hydropower’s share
of electricity generation has gradually declined from 30% in 1950 to 15% in 1975 and less than
10% in 2000. However, hydropower remains highly important on a regional basis.
Figure 14. Changes in Generating Capacity, 1995 - 2007
140
Natural Gas
Gas
120
n 100
tio
ra
ne
Natural Gas
80
Ge
ity
tric
c
60
le
f E
o
40
tts
wa
ga
Coal, Nuclear,
20
Natural Gas
Gi
Hydro & Other
Coal, Nuclear,
Coal, Nuclear,
Hydro & Other
Hydro & Other
0
Petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum
-20
1995-1998
1999-2002
2003-2007

Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2007, Table 8.11a.
Sources of power generation vary greatly by region (see Table 6). Hydropower in the Pacific
Coast states, for instance, supplies over 40% of total generation, and natural gas almost 35%. In
2000, the combination of a drought-caused shortage of hydropower, a tightening of gas supply,
and California’s new electric regulatory scheme and market manipulation caused very sharp
increases in electricity prices in that region. Other regions are heavily dependent on coal
generation: The North Central and East South Central states, as well as the Mountain states,
generate more than 60% of their electricity from coal, whereas other regions, such as New
England and the Pacific Coast, use relatively little coal. The West South Central region
(Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas) generates 45% of its electricity from gas. New
England in the 1970s and 1980s was heavily dependent on oil-generated power; in 2005, despite
an increased use of natural gas, oil produced 10% of New England’s power, compared with the
national average of 2.5%. By 2007, the proportion had dropped to 4.4%, and the national average
to 1.2%
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Table 6. Electricity Generation by Region and Fuel, 2007
Total

Generation
Percentage by

(billion
kwh) Coal Petroleum
Natural
Gas
Nuclear Hydro Other
New
England 133.5
15.0% 4.4% 40.5% 27.7% 5.7% 6.8%
Middle
Atlantic 436.9
35.6% 2.2% 19.2% 34.8% 6.4% 1.8%
East
670.8
69.1% 0.2% 5.3% 23.2% 0.6% 1.6%
North Central
West
314.0
74.2% 0.2% 4.8% 15.4% 2.3% 3.1%
North Central
South
Atlantic 836.5
53.0% 2.4% 17.0% 23.5% 1.4% 2.7%
East
386.9
63.8% 0.2% 12.2% 18.7% 2.9% 2.2%
South Central
West
625.7
36.8% 0.1% 45.5% 11.8% 1.2% 4.6%
South Central
Mountain
362.9
58.1% 0.1% 24.3%
7.4% 8.2% 1.9%
Pacific
373.8
4.1% 0.1% 37.1% 11.7% 37.5% 9.5%
Contiguous
Pacific
18.6 11.8%
55.4%
21.0% 0.0%
7.1%
4.8%
Noncontiguous
U.S.
Total 4,159.5
48.6% 1.2% 21.5% 19.4% 6.0% 3.4%
Source: EIA, Electric Power Monthly, March 2008, Tables 1.6B, 1.7B, 1.8B, 1.10B, 1.12B, and 1.13B.
Note: “Other” includes renewables other than hydro, plus hydro from pumped storage, petroleum coke, gases
other than natural gas, and other sources.
The price of electricity varies by region, depending on the fuel mix and the local regulatory
system, among other factors. The nationwide average retail price to residential consumers
increased during the 1970s energy crises but declined starting in the 1980s, as indicated by
Figure 15. An increase starting in 2000 resulted from the expiration in numerous regions of price
caps that had been previously imposed when utilities were deregulated; the recent runup in oil
and natural gas prices, and to a lesser extent in coal prices, has maintained the trend.
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Figure 15. Price of Retail Residential Electricity, 1960-2007
14
12
Real Dollars (2000)
10
r
ou
tth
8
wa
ilo
r K
6
pe
ts
n
Nominal Dollars
e
C
4
2
2007
0
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005

Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2007, Table 8.10.
Notes: Price includes taxes.
Other Conventional Energy Resources
Natural Gas
Consumption of natural gas was almost four times as great in 2007 as it was in 1950. Throughout
the period, consumption in the residential and commercial sector grew at about the same rate as
total consumption, in the range of 30% to 40% of the total. As shown in Table 7, consumption for
electric power generation increased from about 10% in 1950 to more than 20% at the end of the
century. The proportion of total gas consumption by the industrial sector declined
correspondingly, from more than 50% in 1950 to about 35% in recent years.


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Table 7. Natural Gas Consumption by Sector, 1950-2007

Total Consumption
Percent Consumed by Sector
trillion cubic
Residential -

feet (tcf)
Commercial Industrial Electric
1950 5.77
27.5%
59.4% 10.9%
1955 8.69
31.7%
52.2% 13.3%
1960 11.97
34.5%
48.2% 14.4%
1965 15.28
35.0%
46.5% 15.2%
1970 21.14
34.2%
43.8% 18.6%
1975 19.54
38.0%
42.8% 16.2%
1980 19.88
37.0%
41.2% 18.5%
1985 17.28
39.7%
39.7% 17.6%
1990 19.17
36.6%
43.1% 16.9%
1995 22.21
35.5%
42.3% 19.1%
2000 23.33
35.0%
39.8% 22.3%
2001 22.24
35.0%
38.1% 24.0%
2002 23.01
34.9%
37.5% 24.6%
2003 22.38
37.1%
36.9% 22.9%
2004 22.39
35.7%
37.3% 24.4%
2005 22.01
35.6%
35.0% 26.7%
2006 21.65
33.3%
35.2% 28.7%
2007P 23.06
33.5%
33.8% 29.8%
Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2007, Table 6.5.
Notes: Data for 2007 are preliminary. Percentages do not add to 100. The remaining amount is used by the
transportation sector.
In part because of increased demand by electric utilities, natural gas prices have become
extremely volatile in recent years, as illustrated by Figure 16, which shows high, low, and yearly
average prices for gas delivered to electricity generators.
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Figure 16. Natural Gas Prices to Electricity Generators, 1978 - 2007
$14
$12
t)
e
e
$10
c F
bi
Cu
d
$8
n
a
s
ou
$6
r Th
e
p
rs
la
$4
ol
(D
$2
2007
$-
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006

Source: EIA, Monthly Energy Review, December 2008, Table 9.11.
Because rates for residential natural gas are regulated, they have been less volatile than those for
electric utility consumers, although considerable seasonal fluctuations are common, as shown in
Figure 17. The long-term trend in residential natural gas prices, both in current dollars and in
constant 2006 dollars, is shown in Figure 18.
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Figure 17. Monthly and Annual Residential Natural Gas Prices, 2000 – October 2008
$21
$18
et
Fe $15
ic
b
u
Monthly Averages
C $12
nd
sa
hou
$9
T
per
Annual Averages
s
llar
$6
Do
$3
Oct. '08
$0
Jan
Jul
Jan
Jul
Jan
Jul
Jan
Jul
Jan
Jul
Jan
Jul
Jan
Jul
Jan
Jul
Jan
Jul
'00
'01
'02
'03
'04
'05
'06
'07
'08

Source: EIA, Monthly Energy Review, January 2009, Table 9.11.
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Figure 18. Annual Residential Natural Gas Prices, 1973-2007
$18
$15
et
Fe
ic $12
b
u
Real Dollars (2006)
C
nd
sa
$9
hou
T
per
s
$6
llar
Do
Nominal Dollars
$3
2007
$0
1973
1976
1979
1982
1985
1988
1991
1994
1997
2000
2003
2006

Source: EIA, Monthly Energy Review, December 2008, Table 9.11 and FY2008 Budget, Historical Tables, Table
10.1 for GDP Chained Price Index.
Coal
Consumption of coal has more than doubled since 1950, but during that period coal as an energy
source changed from a widely used resource to a single-use fuel for generating electricity. (See
Table 7.) In 1950 the residential and commercial sector consumed almost a quarter of total coal
consumed; by 1980 less than 1% of coal went to that sector. In transportation, steam locomotives
(and some coal-fired marine transportation) consumed 13% of coal; by 1970 they were all
replaced with diesel-burning or electric engines. Industry consumed 46% of coal in 1950; by
2000 less than 10% of coal was consumed by that sector. Meanwhile, the electric power sector,
which consumed less than 20% of the half-billion tons of coal burned in 1950, used more than
90% of the billion-plus tons consumed in 2007.

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Table 8. Coal Consumption by Sector, 1950-2007
Total

Consumption
Percent Consumed by Sector
Residential-
(million
tons)
Commercial Industrial Transportation Electric
1950 494.1
23.2% 45.5% 12.8% 18.6%
1955
447.0 15.3%
48.7% 3.8% 32.2%
1960
398.1 10.3%
44.6% 0.8% 44.4%
1965 472.0
5.4% 42.6%
0.1% 51.9%
1970 523.2
3.1% 35.7%
0.1% 61.2%
1975 562.6
1.7% 26.2%
–
72.2%
1980 702.7
0.9% 18.1%
–
81.0%
1985 818.0
1.0% 14.2%
–
84.8%
1990 904.5
0.7% 12.7%
–
86.5%
1995 962.1
0.6% 11.0%
–
88.4%
2000 1084.1
0.4%
8.7%
–
90.9%
2005 1126.0
0.4%
7.4%
–
92.1%
2006 1112.3
0.3%
7.4%
–
92.3%
2007 1128.8
0.3%
7.0%
–
92.7%
Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2007, Table 7.3
Notes: Data for 2007 are preliminary.
Renewables
The major supply of renewable energy in the United States, not counting hydroelectric power
generation, is fuel ethanol. Consumption in the United States in 2007 was 6.5 billion gallons,
mainly blended into E10 gasohol (a blend of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline). This figure
represents 4.5% of the approximately 140 billion gallons of gasoline consumption in the same
year. As Figure 19 indicates, fuel ethanol production has increased rapidly in recent years,
especially since the phasing out of the fuel additive methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE).
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Figure 19. U.S. Ethanol Production, 1980-2007 and Jan.-Oct. 2008
8,000
2008* = Jan. to Oct.
l 6,000
no
a
th
f E
o
llons 4,000
Ga
s of
illion
M 2,000
0
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008*

Source: Renewable Fuels Association, January 26, 2008. [http://www.ethanolrfa.org/industry/statistics/].
Notes: Data point for 2008 is for the first ten months of the year.
Another rapidly growing renewable resource is wind-generated electric power, as shown in
Figure 20. The 300 trillion Btus of wind energy in 2006 is equivalent to approximately 88 billion
kilowatt hours, about 2% of the 4,000 billion kwh of total electricity generation in that year.
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Figure 20. Wind Electricity Net Generation, 1989-2007
350
n 300
tio
ra
e
n
e 250
G
t
e
N
ity 200
ic
tr
c
le
E
d 150
in
f W
o
tu 100
B
n
io
rill
T
50
0
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007

Source: Monthly Energy Review, December 2008, Table 10.1.
Notes: Wind electricity net generation converted to Btu using the fossil-fueled plants heat rate.
Conservation and Energy Efficiency
Vehicle Fuel Economy
Energy efficiency has been a popular goal of policy makers in responding to the repeated energy
crises of recent decades, and efforts to reduce the energy intensity of a broad spectrum of
economic activities have been made both at the government and private level. Because of the
transportation sector’s near total dependence on vulnerable oil supplies, improving the efficiency
of motor vehicles has been of particular interest. (For an analysis of legislative policies to
improve vehicle fuel economy, see CRS Report R40166, Automobile and Light Truck Fuel
Economy: The CAFE Standards, by Brent D. Yacobucci and Robert Bamberger.) Figure 21
illustrates the trends in this effort for passenger cars and for light trucks, vans, and sport utility
vehicles, as well as the general lack of improvement in heavy trucks.
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Figure 21. Motor Vehicle Efficiency Rates, 1973-2007
25
20
Passenger Cars
(& Motorcycles through 1989)
15
llon
a
r G
Pickup Trucks, Vans & SUV's
s pe
ile 10
M
Trucks
5
2007
0
1973
1978
1983
1988
1993
1998
2003

Source: EIA, Monthly Energy Review, December 2008, Table 1.8.
Further analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), involving the composition of the
fleet as well as the per-vehicle fuel rates, indicates that light vehicle fuel economy has declined on
average between 1988 and 2003. This is largely because of increased weight, higher performance,
and a higher proportion of sport utility vehicles and light trucks sold. In 2003, SUVs, pickups,
and vans comprised 48% of all sales, more than twice their market share in 1983. (The EPA study
is available online at [http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fetrends.htm].)
Energy Consumption and GDP
A frequent point of concern in formulating energy policy is the relationship between economic
growth and energy use. It seems obvious that greater economic activity would bring with it
increased energy consumption, although many other factors affecting consumption make the
short-term relationship highly variable. Over a longer period, for some energy-related activities,
the relationship with economic growth has been essentially level. For the period from 1973 to
2003, for instance, consumption of electricity remained close to 0.45 kwh per constant dollar of
GDP. Similarly, the number of miles driven by all vehicles was close to 3 miles per constant
dollar of GDP throughout the same period.
In the case of oil and gas, however, a remarkable drop took place in the ratio of consumption to
economic growth following the price spikes and supply disruptions, as illustrated in Figure 22.
Consumption of oil and gas declined from 14,000 Btus per constant dollar of GDP in 1973 to a
little more than 8,000 in 1985, and has continued to decline at a slower rate since then.
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Figure 22. Oil and Natural Gas Consumption per Dollar of GDP, 1973 - 2007
$15
llar $12
) Do
0
0
0
2
(
nt
$9
ta
ns
r Co
pe
$6
tu
B
nd
sa
hou
$3
T
$0
1973
1975 1977 1979
1981 1983 1985 1987 1989
1991 1993 1995 1997 1999
2001 2003 2005
2007

Source: EIA, Monthly Energy Review, January 2009, Table 1.7.
During the earlier period, oil and gas consumption actually declined 15% while GDP, despite
many economic problems with inflation and slow growth, was increasing by 44% (see Figure
22). During the period 1987 to 2007, oil and gas consumption increased by about 25%, while
GDP increased 76%.
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Selected Facts and Numbers

Figure 23. Change in Oil and Natural Gas Consumption and Growth in GDP, 1973-
2007
80%
69.70%
s
e
ri
60%
se
in
ar
44.30%
ye
st
40%
a
l
o
r t
a
e
24.7%
t y
GDP
GDP
20%
firs
m
ro
Oil &
f
e
Natural Gas
g
Consumption
an
0%
Ch
Oil &
Natural Gas
Consumption
-14.9%
-20%
1973-1986
1987-2007

Source: EIA, Monthly Energy Review, January 2009, Table 1.8.
Notes: Percentages calculated by CRS. Percent change in oil & natural gas consumption measured in quadrillion
Btu. Percent change in GDP based on billion chained (2000) dollars.
Major Statistical Resources
Energy Information Administration (EIA)
EIA home page—http://www.eia.doe.gov
Most of the tables and figures in this report are derived from databases maintained by the Energy
Information Administration (EIA), an independent agency of the Department of Energy. EIA’s
Website presents the complete text of its many statistical reports in PDF’s and Excel files.
EIA, Publications and Reports—http://www.eia.doe.gov/bookshelf.html
EIA’s most frequently requested reports include the following:
Annual Energy Review: all the historical yearly energy data across fuels
Annual Energy Outlook: energy projections out to 2030
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Selected Facts and Numbers

Country Analysis Briefs: country-level energy overviews
Electric Power Monthly: monthly summary of electric power generation and capacity
International Energy Annual: international historical yearly energy data across fuels
International Energy Outlook: worldwide energy projections to 2025
Monthly Energy Review: all the latest monthly energy data across fuels
This Week in Petroleum: weekly prices & analytical summary of the petroleum industry
Weekly Petroleum Status Report: weekly petroleum prices, production & stocks data
Other Sources
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Information Digest: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-
collections/nuregs/staff/sr1350/
Updated annually, this official NRC publication (NUREG-1350) includes general statistics on
U.S. and worldwide nuclear power production, U.S. nuclear reactors, and radioactive waste
American Petroleum Institute (API): http://api-ec.api.org/newsplashpage/index.cfm
The primary trade association of the oil and natural gas industry representing more than 400
members. Research, programs, and publications on public policy, technical standards, industry
statistics, and regulations.
API: State Gasoline Tax Reports: http://www.api.org/statistics/fueltaxes/index.cfm
Bloomberg.Com, Market Data: Commodities, Energy Prices:
http://www.bloomberg.com/energy/index.html
Displays four tables:
• Petroleum ($/bbl) for crude oil. The generally accepted price for crude oil is
“WTI Cushing $” which is listed third in the table.
• Petroleum (¢/gal) for heating oil and gasoline.
• Natural Gas ($/MMBtu)
• Electricity ($/megawatt hour)
This site is updated two to three times per day.
AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report: http://www.fuelgaugereport.com/index.asp
At-the-pump retail fuel prices for gasoline and diesel fuel. Gives average price for today,
yesterday, a month ago and a year ago for wholesale and crude oil. Also displays line chart
showing the averages for the previous 12 months. National, state, and metropolitan data.
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International Energy Agency: http://www.iea.org
The International Energy Agency is an autonomous body within the Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD). It gathers and analyzes statistics and “disseminates
information on the world energy market and seeks to promote stable international trade in
energy.”
A subscription is required to access most of the information on this Website, although a limited
amount of information is available to nonsubscribers. Members of Congress and their staff should
contact CRS for a copy of anything that requires a subscription.
Author Contact Information

Carl E. Behrens
Carol Glover
Specialist in Energy Policy
Information Research Specialist
cbehrens@crs.loc.gov, 7-8303
cglover@crs.loc.gov, 7-7353


Key Policy Staff

Area of Expertise
Name
Phone
E-mail
Introduction and General
Carl Behrens
7-8303
cbehrens@crs.loc.gov
Oil Robert
Pirog
7-6847
rpirog@crs.loc.gov
Energy Taxes
Robert Pirog
7-6847
rpirog@crs.loc.gov
Electricity Stan
Kaplan
7-9529
skaplan@crs.loc.gov
Other Conventional Energy Sources



Natural Gas
Robert Pirog
7-6847
rpirog@crs.loc.gov
Coal Anthony
Andrews
7-6843
aandrews@crs.loc.gov
Nuclear Energy
Mark Holt
7-1704
mholt@crs.loc.gov
Conservation and Energy Efficiency



Renewable Energy
Fred Sissine
7-7039
fsissine@crs.loc.gov
Larry
Parker
7-7238
lparker@crs.loc.gov
Brent
Yacobucci
7-9662
byacobucci@crs.loc.gov
CAFE Standards (vehicle fuel
Brent Yacobucci
7-9662
byacobucci@crs.loc.gov
economy)
Robert
Bamberger
7-7240
rbamberger@crs.loc.gov
Statistics, Tables, Figures
Carol Glover
7-7353
cglover@crs.loc.gov




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