Production of crude oil and natural gas has more than offset the drop in coal use over the last six years, the federal government said Monday.
Energy production has soared over the last half-decade, with shale oil leading the nation to record energy development, according the Energy Department’s independent research arm.
The Energy Information Administration reported that energy production rose for the sixth consecutive year in 2015, including an 8 percent increase in crude oil production, 9 percent increase in natural gas-derived liquid fuels, and a 5 percent increase in dry natural gas.
The only outlier was coal, which fell 10 percent over the same period. But the agency said the surge in oil and natural gas “more than offset” the decline in coal production.
The energy agency said energy production reached a record 89 quadrillion British thermal units of energy, which is equivalent to meeting 91 percent of the nation’s total energy demand.
