U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics
Carl E. Behrens
Specialist in Energy Policy
Carol Glover
Information Research Specialist
April 11, 2012
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
R40187
CRS Report for Congress
Pr
epared for Members and Committees of Congress

U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

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 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 three years of steady increases in the prices of oil and gasoline.
With the downturn in the world economy and a consequent decline in consumption, prices
collapsed, but then recovered to a much higher level than in the 1990s. With the crisis in Libya in
the Spring of 2011, oil and gasoline prices began again to approach their former peak levels. By
2012, Libyan production had recovered, but a new crisis involving Iran further threatened supply.
Natural gas followed a long-term pattern of U.S. consumption similar to that of oil, at a lower
level. Its share of total energy increased from about 17% in 1950 to more than 30% in 1970, then
declined to about 20%. Natural gas markets are very much more regional than the petroleum
market, in which events in one part of the world tend to influence consumption and prices
everywhere. Recent development of large deposits of shale gas in the United States have
increased the outlook for U.S. natural gas supply and consumption in the near future.
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, and its contribution to increased production of
carbon dioxide has made its use controversial in light of concerns about global climate change.
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. Licenses for a number of new nuclear
units have been in the works for several years, and preliminary construction for a few units has
begun, but the economic downturn has discouraged action on new construction. The accident at
Japan’s Fukushima station following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami raised further
questions about future construction of nuclear powerplants.
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.
Wind power has recently grown rapidly, although it still contributes only a small share of total
electricity generation. Conservation and energy efficiency have shown significant gains over the
past three decades and offer potential to relieve some of the dependence on oil imports.
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

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 and Back Up Again .............................................. 15
Why Are Oil Prices So High?.................................................................................................. 18
Gasoline Taxes ........................................................................................................................ 20
Electricity....................................................................................................................................... 20
Other Conventional Energy Resources.......................................................................................... 24
Natural Gas.............................................................................................................................. 24
Coal................................................................................................................................................ 28
Renewables .................................................................................................................................... 29
Conservation and Energy Efficiency ............................................................................................. 31
Vehicle Fuel Economy ............................................................................................................ 31
Energy Consumption and GDP ............................................................................................... 32
Major Statistical Resources ........................................................................................................... 34
Energy Information Administration (EIA) .............................................................................. 34
Other Sources .......................................................................................................................... 35

Figures
Figure 1. Per Capita Energy Consumption in Transportation and Residential Sectors,
1950-2010..................................................................................................................................... 3
Figure 2. Electricity Intensity: Commercial, Residential, and Industrial Sectors, 1950-
2010 .............................................................................................................................................. 4
Figure 3. U.S. Energy Consumption by Source of Fuel, 1950-2010 ............................................... 6
Figure 4. World Crude Oil Reserves, 1973, 1991, and 2008........................................................... 7
Figure 5. U.S. Consumption of Imported Petroleum, 1960-2011.................................................. 10
Figure 6. Transportation Use of Petroleum, 1950-2010 ................................................................ 12
Figure 7. Nominal and Real Cost of Crude Oil to Refiners, 1968-2010........................................ 13
Figure 8. Nominal and Real Price of Gasoline, 1950-2010........................................................... 14
Figure 9. Consumer Spending on Oil as a Percentage of GDP, 1970-2009 .................................. 15
Figure 10. Crude Oil Futures Prices January 2000 to March 2012................................................ 16
Figure 11. Average Daily Nationwide Price of Unleaded Gasoline January 2002-April
2012 ............................................................................................................................................ 17
Figure 12. U.S. Gasoline Consumption, January 2000-March 2012 ............................................. 18
Figure 13. Electricity Generation by Source, Selected Years, 1950-2010 .................................... 21
Figure 14. Changes in Generating Capacity, 1995-2010............................................................... 22
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

Figure 15. Price of Retail Residential Electricity, 1960-2010 ....................................................... 24
Figure 16. Natural Gas Prices to Electricity Generators, 1978-2010............................................. 26
Figure 17. Monthly and Annual Residential Natural Gas Prices, 2000-November 2011............. 27
Figure 18. Annual Residential Natural Gas Prices, 1973-2010 ..................................................... 28
Figure 19. U.S. Ethanol Production, 1990-2011............................................................................ 30
Figure 20. Wind Electricity Net Generation, 1989-2011............................................................... 31
Figure 21. Light Duty Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Rates, 1973-2011 ................................................ 32
Figure 22. Oil and Natural Gas Consumption per Dollar of GDP, 1973-2010.............................. 33
Figure 23. Change in Oil and Natural Gas Consumption and Growth in GDP, 1973-2010.......... 34

Tables
Table 1. U.S. Energy Consumption, 1950-2010.............................................................................. 2
Table 2. Energy Consumption in British Thermal Units (Btu) and as a Percentage of
Total, 1950-2010 .......................................................................................................................... 5
Table 3. Petroleum Consumption by Sector, 1950-2010................................................................. 8
Table 4. U.S. Petroleum Production, 1950-2010 ............................................................................. 9
Table 5. Transportation Use of Petroleum, 1950-2010.................................................................. 10
Table 6. Electricity Generation by Region and Fuel, 2011............................................................ 23
Table 7. Natural Gas Consumption by Sector, 1950-2010 ............................................................ 25
Table 8. Coal Consumption by Sector, 1950-2010........................................................................ 29

Contacts
Author Contact Information........................................................................................................... 36
Key Policy Staff............................................................................................................................. 36

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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

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.1
Renewable sources (except hydropower) continue to offer more potential than actual energy
production, although fuel ethanol has become a significant factor in transportation fuel. Wind
power also has recently grown rapidly, although it still contributes only a small share of total
electricity generation. 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 in Figure 1 and Figure 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),2 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
roughly 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.

1 This report focuses on current and historical consumption and production of energy. For a description of the resource
base from which energy is supplied, see CRS Report R40872, U.S. Fossil Fuel Resources: Terminology, Reporting,
and Summary
, by Carl E. Behrens, Michael Ratner, and Carol Glover.
2 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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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
gas) that are directly consumed plus the total energy used to produce the electricity each sector
consumes—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 2010,
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.3
Table 1. U.S. Energy Consumption, 1950-2010
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 39.3 55.8
1955 7.3 3.9 19.5 9.6 40.2 165.9
242.3 43.9 57.6
1960 9.0 4.6 20.8 10.6 45.1 180.7
249.5 50.0 58.6
1965 10.6 5.8 25.1 12.4 54.0 194.3
278.0 54.8 64.0
1970 13.8 8.3 29.6 16.1 67.8 205.1
330.8 67.1 78.5
1975 14.8 9.5 29.4 18.2 72.0 216.0
333.2 68.6 84.5
1980 15.8 10.6 32.0 19.7 78.1 227.2
343.6 69.3 86.7
1985 16.0 11.5 28.8 20.1 76.4 237.9
321.1 67.4 84.4
1990 16.9 13.3 31.8 22.4 84.5 249.6
338.5 67.9 89.8
1995 18.5 14.7 34.0 23.8 91.0 266.3
341.9 69.5 89.6
2000 20.4 17.2 34.7 26.5 98.8 282.2
350.2 72.4 94.1
2005 21.6 17.9 32.4 28.4 100.3 295.6 339.2 73.2 95.9
2006 20.7 17.7 32.4 28.8 99.6 298.4
333.8 69.4 96.6
2007 21.6 18.3 32.4 29.1 101.4 301.4
336.3 71.6 96.6
2008 21.6 18.4 31.3 28.0 99.3 304.2 326.4 71.0 92.1
2009 21.1 17.9 28.5 27.0 94.5 306.7 308.1 68.7 88.0
2010P 22.2 18.2 30.1 27.5 98.0 309.1 317.1 71.7 89.0
Source: Energy Information Administration (EIA), Annual Energy Review 2010, Tables 2.1a and D1.
Per capita data calculated by CRS.
Notes: Data for 2010 are preliminary.

3 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 Key Statistics

Figure 1. Per Capita Energy Consumption in Transportation and Residential
Sectors, 1950-2010
120
or 100
Sect
ta by
80
Transportation
per Capi
60
ed
m

Residential
40
tu Consu
B
n
llio

20
Mi
0
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010P

Source: Energy Information Administration (EIA), Annual Energy Review 2010, Tables 2.1a and D1. Per capita
data calculated by CRS.
Notes: Data for 2010 are preliminary.
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

Figure 2. Electricity Intensity: Commercial, Residential, and Industrial Sectors,
1950-2010
100%
gy Use
80%
Ener
al

Tot
Commercial
ors'
60%
Residential
Each Sect
of

40%
s Percent
Industrial
20%
city a
ri

lect
E

0%
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010P

Source: Energy Information Administration (EIA), Annual Energy Review 2010, Tables 2.1a and D1. Per capita
data calculated by CRS.
Notes: Data for 2010 are preliminary.
Consumption of major energy resources—petroleum, natural gas, and coal, as well as nuclear and
renewable energy—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 Key Statistics

Table 2. Energy Consumption in British Thermal Units (Btu) and as a
Percentage of Total, 1950-2010
(Quadrillion BTU)

Petroleum
Natural Gas
Coal
Other

Quads
% of
Quads
% of
Quads
% of
Quads
% of
Total
total
total
total
total
1950 13.3 38.5% 6.0 17.2% 12.3 35.7% 3.0 8.6% 34.6
1955 17.3 42.9% 9.0 22.4% 11.2 27.7% 2.8 7.0% 40.2
1960 19.9 44.2% 12.4 27.5% 9.8 21.8% 2.9 6.5% 45.1
1965 23.2 43.0% 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 45.5% 19.9 27.7% 12.7 17.6% 6.6 9.2% 72.0
1980 34.2 43.8% 20.2 25.9% 15.4 19.7% 8.2 10.6% 78.1
1985 30.9 40.5% 17.7 23.2% 17.5 22.9% 10.3 13.5% 76.4
1990 33.6 39.7% 19.6 23.2% 19.2 22.7% 12.2 14.4% 84.5
1995 34.4 37.8% 22.7 24.9% 20.1 22.1% 13.8 15.1% 91.0
2000 38.3 38.7% 23.8 24.1% 22.6 22.9% 14.1 14.3% 98.8
2005 40.4 40.3% 22.6 22.5% 22.8 22.8% 14.5 14.4% 100.3
2010P 36.0 36.7% 24.6 25.1% 20.8 21.2% 16.6 16.9% 98.0
Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2010, Table 1.3.
Notes: Percentages calculated by CRS. “Other” includes nuclear and renewable energy. Data for 2010 are
preliminary.
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

Figure 3. U.S. Energy Consumption by Source of Fuel, 1950-2010
125
100
Other
u
75
Bt
n
lio
ril
ad

Coal
u
50
Q
Natural Gas
25
Petroleum
0
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010P

Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2010, Table 1.3.
Notes: “Other” includes nuclear and renewable energy. Data for 2010 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, and world production of petroleum grew, 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. In more recent
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

years, successful extraction of tight oil (also called “shale oil”) in the United States is likely to
add significantly to world resources estimates. These trends are illustrated in Figure 4.
Figure 4. World Crude Oil Reserves, 1973, 1991, and 2008
1400
Far East & Oceania
Africa
1200
Far East & Oceania
1000
Africa
ls
Middle East
rre
800
f Ba
Far East & Oceania
s o
n

600
Africa
io
Middle East
Bill
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 2008. 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, 1950-2010
(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 68.5% 20.7
2007
1.1 5.2%
5.1 24.4% 0.3 1.4%
14.3 69.0% 20.7
2008
1.1 5.5%
4.5 23.2% 0.2 1.1%
13.7 70.3% 19.5
2009
1.0 5.6%
4.3 22.8% 0.2 0.9%
13.3 70.7% 19.8
2010P
1.1 5.7%
4.4 22.9% 0.2 0.9%
13.5 70.5% 19.1
Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2010, Tables 5.11 and 5.13a-d.
Notes: Percentages calculated by CRS. Data for 2010 are preliminary.
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. The slowing
of the economy in the summer of 2008 led to a drop in total oil consumption in 2009.
While petroleum consumption increased throughout the period from 1950 to the present (except
for a temporary decline following the price surge of the 1970s and another in 2009), U.S.
domestic production peaked in 1970. However, in recent years expanded production of tight oil
has reversed the decline in production. (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 near 60%
in 2005. With a decline in consumption following 2008, and increased production, import
dependence declined to about 45% in 2011.
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Table 4. U.S. Petroleum Production, 1950-2010
(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 4.3
0.7
5.1
1.8
1.0
8.9
2008 4.3
0.7
5.0
1.8
1.0
8.8
2009 4.7
0.6
5.4
1.9
1.7
9.0
2010P 4.9
0.6
5.5
2.0
2.0
9.5
Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2010, Table 5.1b.
Notes: “Other” includes processing gain. Data for 2010 are preliminary.
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Figure 5. U.S. Consumption of Imported Petroleum, 1960-2011
100%
d
rte
o
p
Im

80%
t is
a
th
n
tio
p
m

60%
u
s
n
Co
il
. O

40%
.S
2011
l U
ta

45.1%
o
f T
e o

20%
g
ta
n
e
rc
e
P

0%
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010

Source: EIA, Monthly Energy Review, February 2012, Table 3.3a, and Annual Energy Review 1986, Table 51.
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
products used.
Table 5. Transportation Use of Petroleum, 1950-2010
(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 0.6 4.5
1960 0.5 0.4 3.7 0.5 5.1
1965 0.7 0.5 4.4 0.4 6.0
1970 1.0 0.7 5.6 0.5 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 0.5 9.8
1990 1.5 1.7 7.1 0.6
10.9
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

Aviation
Diesel
Fuel
Gasoline
Other
Total
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 0.4
14.3
2007 1.6 3.0 9.1 0.5
14.3
2008 1.6 2.8 8.8 0.5
13.7
2009 1.4 2.6 8.8 0.4
13.3
2010P 1.4
2.7
8.9 0.5 13.5
Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2010, Table 5.13c.
Notes: Data for 2010 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. The economic downturn in 2008 led to a decline in diesel consumption.
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.
Like diesel fuel, gasoline consumption fell after the economic decline in the summer of 2008.
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, 1950-2010
20
15
y
a
r D
e
p
ls
10
rre
a
B
n
io
ill
M

Gasoline
5
Diesel
Other
Aviation
0
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010P

Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2010, Table 5.13c.
Notes: Data for 2010 are preliminary.
Petroleum Prices: Historical Trends
Most commodity prices are 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 the 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.
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

Figure 7. Nominal and Real Cost of Crude Oil to Refiners, 1968-2010
$100
$80
l
e Oi
Crud
$60
of
Real Dollars (2005)
r Barrel
$40
pe
rs
lla
o
D

$20
Nominal Dollars
$0
1968
1973
1978
1983
1988
1993
1998
2003
2008

Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2010, Table 5.21.
Notes: Costs are for crude oil to refiners, including transportation and other fees; they do not include crude oil
purchased for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Data for 2010 are preliminary.
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 surge in prices that peaked in 2008 brought
the price above the peak of 1980 (in real dollars).
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Figure 8. Nominal and Real Price of Gasoline, 1950-2010
$3.50
2008:
$3.01 real
$3.27 nom.
$3.00
2010:
$2.79 real
$2.52 nom.
ine $2.50
2009:
asol
$2.14 real
f G
$2.35 nom.
$2.00
n o
Real Dollars
allo
(2005)
G
r
$1.50
e
lars p $1.00
Dol
Nominal Dollars
$0.50
$0.00
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2010, Table 5.24,
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,
reaching 6% in 2008, and falling in 2009.
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

Figure 9. Consumer Spending on Oil as a Percentage of GDP, 1970-2009
10%
P
f GD
8%
tage o
Percen
6%
l as
Oi
on

4%
ing
end
2009
4.1%
er Sp
m

2%
nsu
o
C

0%
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005

Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2010, Table 3.5 and Table D1 for GDP in billions of nominal dollars.
Percentages calculated by CRS.
Petroleum Prices: The 2004-2008 Bubble and Back Up Again
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 as well as some crude oil
production and delivery 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 Figure 10 and Figure 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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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

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.
At the end of 2010, with the economy beginning to recover, oil prices began to rise again. When
unrest in Libya, a major oil producer, interrupted some supply to Europe, prices of both crude oil
and gasoline surged again. As that crisis eased, prices fell, only to rise again with an impending
prospect of a supply interruption involving Iran.4
Figure 10. Crude Oil Futures Prices January 2000 to March 2012
$150
Jul-2008
$133.48
$125
Mar-2012
$106.21
il
Apr-2011
O
e

$110.04
d $100
ru
f C
o
l
rre

$75
Sep-2011
a
$85.61
r B
e
P
rs

$50
lla
Do

Feb-2009
$39.26
$25
$0
Jan-00 Jan-01 Jan-02 Jan-03 Jan-04 Jan-05 Jan-06 Jan-07 Jan-08 Jan-09 Jan-10 Jan-11 Jan-12

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. Last date above
is March 2012; $106.21. February 2012 was $102.26 / barrel.

4 For detailed analysis of trends and policies concerning gasoline prices, see CRS Report R42382, Rising Gasoline
Prices 2012
, by Neelesh Nerurkar and Robert Pirog.
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

Figure 11. Average Daily Nationwide Price of Unleaded Gasoline
January 2002-April 2012
$4.50
$4.00
$3.50
n
lo

$3.00
Gal
$2.50
lars per
Dol

$2.00
$1.50
$1.00
Jan
Jul Jan Jul
Jan Jul
Jan Jul Jan Jul Jan Jul Jan Jul
7/8 Jan Jul Jan Jul Jan Jul Jan
'02
'03
'04
'05
'06
'07
'08
/08
'09
'10
'11
'12

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 April 11, 2012; $3.92.
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

Figure 12. U.S. Gasoline Consumption, January 2000-March 2012
10
Annual Averages
9.5
y
a

9
r D
e
p
ls
8.5
rre
a
B

Monthly Averages
n
io
ill

8
M
7.5
7
Jan Jul Jan Jul Jan Jul 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
'10
'11
'12

Source: EIA, Monthly Energy Review, March 2012, Table 3.5, and EIA, Weekly Petroleum Status Report. 4/11/12,
Table A1.
Note: Some of the data points in the chart above are as fol ows: Average for 2010 = 9.0, Estimated Average for
2011 = 8.7, Estimated Averages for January 2012 = 8.1, for February = 8.3, and for March = 8.6.
Why Are Oil Prices So High?5
Many diverse factors combine to determine prices in a world oil market that is globally
integrated. About 60% of the world’s oil supply is traded internationally, and particular sources of
oil can be interchangeable within the limits set by the oil’s quality. Consequently, the price of oil
is global. No matter where it is produced or consumed, the price tends to move in the same
direction at a similar rate. New supplies, or disruptions to existing supplies, will impact prices
around the world, no matter where those events occur. Similarly, a change in demand in any
particular country is likely to affect prices globally.
The price of oil generally increased from 2003 until peaking at $145 per barrel in mid-2008. This
run-up of oil prices was unlike the two oil crises in the 1970s, in that there was no major
interruption of supply. In 1973-1974, Arab members of the Organization of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC) embargoed shipments of oil to the United States and the
Netherlands because of their support of Israel during the Yom Kippur War. The resulting
shortages, coupled with domestic price controls in the United States, led to lines at gas stations

5 For a detailed analysis of oil prices, see CRS Report 42024, Oil Price Fluctuations, by Neelesh Nerurkar, and
Mark Jickling.
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and widespread concern about energy security. During the later disruption in oil supply following
the Iranian revolution in 1979, the shortages and gas station lines were so severe that Congress
began considering a gasoline rationing plan.
However, there was no period during 2003 to 2008 when oil was in short supply, except for a
brief period following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and there were no lines at the gas pumps,
except for a limited time in a few places. Nevertheless, the price of oil climbed steadily during
that period. As it climbed, so did the price of gasoline. But despite the higher price, consumption
of gasoline continued to increase, indicating that consumers were relatively insensitive to the
increased cost. Only when the economy began to falter in the summer of 2008 did consumption
significantly decline. Once the U.S. recession spread to the rest of the world in 2008, global oil
consumption and prices collapsed, falling to a one-day low of less than $31 per barrel.
Within a year of the 2008 collapse, the price of oil recovered to the range of $70-$85, far above
the $20-$30 region it had been in during the 15 years previous to the price run-up. (See Figure 7
for long-term yearly average prices, and Figure 10 for more current weekly average price
movements.) Significantly, the actual cost of producing most of the oil currently being supplied to
the market had not risen to a degree comparable to the increase in price. The question then arises,
why are oil prices so much higher than they were in the 1990s?
Numerous factors in addition to the current cost of production contribute to the price of oil. First,
a major feature of the oil market is that very large capital investments, and considerable time, are
necessary to bring known resources into production. Investors in production facilities as a result
are interested not only in current demand and supply, but in expectations as to how demand and
supply will change in the future. Second, not only market factors but political decisions play a
major role in determining the price of oil, especially since many of the world’s primary producers
are nationally owned. In many of those countries where oil is state-owned, oil revenue is often
treated as part of the general revenue, and devoted to governmental purposes rather than
enhancing the production capacity of the oil industry.
These are only two of the many factors that influence oil prices. Specifically, the following
factors may be important:
Geopolitical Factors, Including OPEC. The concentration of oil resources in
the Persian Gulf countries means that the political events in the Middle East can
have great influence on the oil market. Their influence is enhanced by the
monopolistic policies of OPEC, which is dominated by Saudi Arabia and other
Persian Gulf countries. Also contributing to the importance of this factor is the
resource nationalism of government-owned oil companies, noted above, and the
practice of many developing countries, where demand growth has become rapid,
to subsidize gasoline consumption with regulated low prices.
A Changing Market. To an increasing degree, investors in oil futures have been
investors with little interest in oil as a commodity, such as investment banks and
pension and endowment funds. A debatable question is the degree to which such
investors lead to a market focused more on future prospects than present
conditions.
Inelastic Demand for Oil Products, Particularly Gasoline. During the 2003-
2008 run-up of prices, U.S. consumption of gasoline continued to increase,
indicating that consumers were relatively insensitive to what it cost to keep their
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

automobiles running. Only when the economy faltered in the summer of 2008 did
consumption decline. The insensitivity to price is exacerbated in some countries,
particularly in the developing nations and the oil-exporting countries, by
government subsidies noted above, which mask the actual cost of gasoline.
Foreign Exchange Rates. Oil is traded in dollars, even in foreign markets. As a
result, changes in the value of the dollar relative to other currencies can have an
effect on the price of oil.
Changing Views on Oil Resources. Because the oil market is forward-looking,
future supply and demand conditions are important factors in determining price.
During the crises of the 1970s, there was a widespread belief that natural
resources in general, including oil, were running out.6 In the 1980s, after the price
of oil collapsed in the face of reduced demand and excess production capacity,
the limits to growth concept lost much of its support. However, during the recent
price run-up, there was, and continues to be, widespread belief that future finds
of large oil deposits will diminish, and even that world oil production will soon
reach a peak and stabilize or decline. These predictions are controversial –– they
appear to be contradicted by the doubling of world proven oil reserves, as shown
in Figure 4 –– but they have a powerful influence on the forward-looking oil
market.
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/Oil-and-Natural-Gas-Overview/Industry-Economics/~/media/Files/
Statistics/State_Motor_Fuel_Excise_Tax_Update.ashx.
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.

6 An important expression of this view was a study by the Club of Rome: Donella H. Meadows, Dennis L. Meadows,
Jorgen Randers, and William W. Behrens III. The Limits to Growth. New York: Universe Books (1972).
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

Figure 13. Electricity Generation by Source, Selected Years, 1950-2010
4,500
3,750
Other
rs 3,000
u
o

Hydroelectric
tth
a

Nuclear
w 2,250
lo
Ki
n

Natural Gas
o
lli

Petroleum
Bi 1,500
Coal
750
0
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010P
Coal
Petroleum
Natural Gas
Nuclear
Hydroelectric
Other

Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2010, 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 2010 less than 1% 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 as electricity producers
faced tighter Clean Air Act requirements. By 2000 16% of total electric generation was gas-fired,
and by 2011 the figure reached 25%. Most capacity additions since 1995 have been gas-fired, as
illustrated in Figure 14.
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
accident in 1979 curtailed expansion of the technology, and many construction projects were
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

cancelled. Continuation of some construction increased the nuclear share of generation to 20% in
1990, where it remains currently. Recently, some new projects have entered the licensing and
construction stage, but the future of nuclear power remains in question. The accident at
Fukushima in March 2011 contributed a further factor entering decisions regarding future
construction. (For more details on U.S. nuclear power activity, see CRS Report RL33558,
Nuclear Energy Policy, by Mark Holt.)
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.
In the last decade, a new trend has begun: the addition of wind energy. As Figure 14 illustrates,
more than 30 gigawatts of wind energy electricity generating capacity has been added to the U.S.
power grid since 2003.
Figure 14. Changes in Generating Capacity, 1995-2010
150
Natural Gas
132.2
125
ded
d

Natural Gas
100
93.6
tion A
a

75
Gener
ty
ci
ri

50
ect
Wind
f El
33.2
o
ts

Natural Gas
25
15.5
Other
wat
10.1
a
Wind Other
Wind Other
g
0
1.8
2.7
1.1
Gi
0
Petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum
-5.4
-3
-6.6
-25
1995-1998
1999-2002
2003-2010

Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2010, Table 8.11a.
Note: Other is coal, nuclear, hydro and other renewables excluding wind. Data for 2010 are preliminary.
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%.
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-
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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 2011, the proportion had
dropped to less than 1%, and more than half New England’s electric power was generated by gas.
Table 6. Electricity Generation by Region and Fuel, 2011
Total

Generation
Percentage by

(billion kwh)
Coal
Petroleum
Natural Gas
Nuclear
Hydro
Other
New England
123.4
5.8 %
0.5 %
51.6 %
27.8 %
6.7 %
7.6 %
Middle Atlantic
430.0
26.7 %
0.3 %
27.4 %
35.5 %
7.1 %
3.0 %
East
628.9
63.4 %
0.1 %
7.5 %
24.7 %
0.9 %
3.4 %
North Central
West
333.1
69.4 %
0.1 %
3.7 %
12.2 %
4.4 %
10.2 %
North Central
South Atlantic
765.1
42.6 %
0.4 %
28.1 %
24.5 %
1.9 %
2.5 %
East
387.9
51.3 %
0.1 %
21.3 %
19.8 %
5.6 %
1.8 %
South Central
West
678.9
36.3 %
0.0 %
44.6 %
10.4 %
1.1 %
7.6 %
South Central
Mountain
363.4
54.7 %
0.1 %
19.6 %
8.6 %
11.4 %
5.6 %
Pacific
377.7
2.8 %
0.0 %
26.6 %
11.0 %
47.5 %
12.1 %
Contiguous
Pacific
17.2
11.8 %
50.6 %
21.5 %
0.0%
10.0 %
6.2 %
Noncontiguous
U.S. Total
4,105.7
42.2 %
0.4 %
24.8 %
19.2 %
7.9 %
5.4 %
Source: EIA, Electric Power Monthly, February 2012, 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. By 2010 prices had begun
to level off again, in part because of the falling cost of natural gas to utilities (see Figure 16).
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

Figure 15. Price of Retail Residential Electricity, 1960-2010
15
Real Dollars (2005)
12
ur
9
attho
w
lo

r Ki
6
ts pe
n
e
C

Nominal Dollars
3
0
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010P

Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2010, Table 8.10.
Notes: Price includes taxes. Data for 2010 are preliminary.
Other Conventional Energy Resources
Natural Gas
Consumption of natural gas was more than four times as great in 2010 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 and 30% by 2010. The proportion of total gas consumption by the
industrial sector declined correspondingly, from more than 50% in 1950 to about 33% in recent
years.
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Table 7. Natural Gas Consumption by Sector, 1950-2010

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%
2005 22.01
35.6%
35.0% 26.7%
2006 21.69
33.2%
35.3% 28.7%
2007 23.10
33.5%
34.1% 29.7%
2008 23.27
34.6%
33.9% 28.7%
2009 22.84
34.6%
32.6% 30.1%
2010P 24.13
33.8%
32.9% 30.6%
Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2010, Table 6.5.
Notes: Data for 2010 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. The recent boom in production of shale
gas has led to an oversupply and consequently lower prices.
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Figure 16. Natural Gas Prices to Electricity Generators, 1978-2010
$15
$12
eet
F
c

Cubi
$9
and
us

$6
lars per Tho
Dol

2010
$3
$-
1978
1983
1988
1993
1998
2003
2008

Source: EIA, Monthly Energy Review, December 2011, Table 9.11.
Rates for residential natural gas are regulated, but local gas companies are usually allowed to pass
fuel costs through to customers, so there is considerable seasonal fluctuation as winter heating
demand increases consumption, as shown in Figure 17. The long-term trend in residential natural
gas prices, both in current dollars and in constant 2008 dollars, is shown in Figure 18.
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Figure 17. Monthly and Annual Residential Natural Gas Prices,
2000-November 2011
$21
$18
et
$15
c Fe
bi

Monthly Averages
u
C
$12
nd
sa
u

Annual Averages
o
h

$9
r T
e

lars p
$6
Dol
$3
$0
Jan Jul Jan Jul Jan Jul 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
'09
'10
'11

Source: EIA, Monthly Energy Review, February 2012, Table 9.11.
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

Figure 18. Annual Residential Natural Gas Prices, 1973-2010
$18
$15
et
c Fe $12
Real Dollars (2010)
d Cubi
san
u

$9
o
h

per T
$6
llars
o
D

Nominal Dollars
$3
2010
$0
1973
1976
1979
1982
1985
1988
1991
1994
1997
2000
2003
2006
2009

Source: EIA, Monthly Energy Review, September 2010, Table 9.11 and FY2013 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 the total;
by 1980 less than 1% of coal went to those sectors. 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 2011.

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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

Table 8. Coal Consumption by Sector, 1950-2010
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 1,084.1
0.4%
8.7%

90.9%
2005 1,126.0
0.4%
7.4%

92.1%
2006 1,112.3
0.3%
7.4%

92.3%
2007 1,128.0
0.3%
7.0%

92.7%
2008 1,120.5
0.3%
6.8%

92.9%
2009 997.5 0.3% 6.1% –
93.6%
2010P 1,048.3
0.3%
6.6%

93.1%
Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2010, Table 7.3.
Notes: Data for 2010 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 2011 was about 14.0 billion
gallons, mainly blended into E10 gasohol (a blend of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline). This figure
represents 10.2% of the approximately 136 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), and the
establishment of the renewable fuel standard (RFS) which requires the use of biofuels in
transportation.
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

Figure 19. U.S. Ethanol Production, 1990-2011
15
12
l
2011,
o
n

13.9
a
th
f E

9
o
s
n
llo
a
f G
o

6
s
n
o
illi
B

3
0
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010

Source: Renewable Fuels Association, March 13, 2012. http://www.ethanolrfa.org/pages/statistics/.
Another rapidly growing renewable resource is wind-generated electric power, as shown in
Figure 20. The 120 billion kwh of wind energy produced in 2011 is about 3% of the 4,100 billion
kwh of total electricity generation in that year.
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U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

Figure 20. Wind Electricity Net Generation, 1989-2011
125
n 100
o
ti
era
n
e
t G

75
e
N
rs
u
o
tth
a

50
w
o
Kil
n
llio
Bi

25
0
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011

Source: EIA, Monthly Energy Review, March 2012, Table 7.2a.
Notes: Data are for electric utilities, independent power producers, commercial plants, and industrial plants.
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.) Figure 21 illustrates the trends in this
effort for passenger cars and for light trucks, vans, and sport utility vehicles.
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Figure 21. Light Duty Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Rates, 1973-2011
30
Cars
lon
a
r G
e 20
iles p
ite M
Light Trucks
os
& SUVs
p
m
o
C 10
sted
ju
d
A
2011
0
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
Model Year

Source: Environmental Protection Agency. Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and
Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 Through 2011. Table 1. March 2012. http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fetrends.htm.
Analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),7 involving the composition of the fleet
as well as the per-vehicle fuel rates, indicates that light vehicle fuel economy 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. After 2004 fuel economy
improved and the market share of trucks declined. Further, tighter fuel economy standards for
light trucks were implemented beginning in model year 2005.
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
2010, for instance, consumption of electricity remained close to 0.4 kwh per constant dollar of
GDP.

7 U.S. EPA, Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975
Through 2011, March, 2012. http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fetrends.htm
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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 of the 1970s, 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.
Figure 22. Oil and Natural Gas Consumption per Dollar of GDP, 1973-2010
15
lar 12
Dol
005)
(2
d

9
e
n
ai
h
C
per

6
u
Bt

and
us

2010
3
Tho
0
1973
1977
1981
1985
1989
1993
1997
2001
2005
2009

Source: EIA, Monthly Energy Review, February 2012, 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
23
). During the period 1987 to 2010, oil and gas consumption increased by about 20%, while
GDP increased 79%.
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Figure 23. Change in Oil and Natural Gas Consumption and Growth in GDP,
1973-2010
100%
79.1%
s
80%
ie
ser
n
r i

60%
yea
ast
l

44.1%
o
ar t

40%
ye
GDP
GDP
irst
f

19.3%
20%
rom
Oil &
f
e

Natural Gas
Consumption

ang
h

0%
C
Oil &
Natural Gas
Consumption

-14.9%
-20%
1973-1986
1987-2010

Source: EIA, Monthly Energy Review, February 2012, Table 1.7.
Notes: Percentages calculated by CRS. Percent change in oil and natural gas consumption measured in
quadrillion Btu. Percent change in GDP based on billion chained (2005) dol ars.
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 2035
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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 and analytical summary of the petroleum industry
Weekly Petroleum Status Report: weekly petroleum prices, production and 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
Neelesh
Nerurkar
7-2873
nnerurkar@crs.loc.gov
Energy Taxes
Robert Pirog
7-6847
rpirog@crs.loc.gov
Electricity Richard
Campbell
7-7905
rcampbell@crs.loc.gov
Natural Gas
Robert Pirog
7-6847
rpirog@crs.loc.gov
Michael
Ratner
7-9529
mratner@crs.loc.gov
Coal Anthony
Andrews
7-6843
aandrews@crs.loc.gov
Nuclear Energy
Mark Holt
7-1704
mholt@crs.loc.gov
Conservation, Energy Efficiency, and
Fred Sissine
7-7039
fsissine@crs.loc.gov
Renewable Energy
CAFE Standards (vehicle fuel
Brent Yacobucci
7-9662
byacobucci@crs.loc.gov
economy)
Statistics, Tables, Figures
Carol Glover
7-7353
cglover@crs.loc.gov






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