HOUSTON — The United States’ average daily oil production is on track to surge by 1 million barrels per day this year, the biggest one-year jump in the nation’s history, according to federal data.
The country has pumped an average of 7.5 million barrels of crude per day in 2013, up from 6.5 million barrels per day in 2012. That breaks last year’s record, when oil production jumped by 837,000 barrels per day between 2011 and 2012.
Feds: US oil boom’s end in sight
The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects that oil production will jump by another 1 million barrels per day in 2014, largely buoyed by drilling activity in Texas’ Eagle Ford Shale and Permian Basin regions, as well as North Dakota’s Bakken Shale.
The Gulf of Mexico also is seeing a boost, with oil production expected to grow to 1.4 million barrels per day in 2014, up by 100,000 barrels.
The data is evidence of the astonishingly rapid turnaround in the nation’s energy story. Oil production declined in 29 of the 40 years between 1971 and 2011. In total, oil production fell by about 40 percent during that time, from 9.5 million barrels per day in 1971 to 5.6 million barrels per day in 2011.
While the U.S. oil boom has sparked conversation of energy independence, Americans consume about 18 million barrels of liquid fuels per day, far more than is produced domestically.
Still, the production surge has caused oil imports to drop considerably. The nation shipped in an average of 7.9 million barrels per day of crude in September, the most recent period for which import data is available. That’s a significant drop from the peak in 2005, when the nation imported an average of 10.1 million barrels per day.
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![No. 10 -- Gulf oil spill legal fallout
Three years after an out-of-control BP well unleashed the largest offshore oil spill in the nation's history, the company continues to face legal fallout. While enmeshed in a complex courtroom battle over how much oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, BP also launched an aggressive attack against the judge and claims administrator overseeing its settlement with victims of the 2010 spill, arguing that the payouts should be halted because the process was riddled with fraud.
[Photo: An activist protests in front of a New Orleans courthouse on the first day of the civil trial over the 2010 Gulf oil spill on Feb. 25, 2013.]](https://fuelfix.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/731/files/top-energy-stories-of-2013/10-bpspillfallout.jpg)
No. 10 -- Gulf oil spill legal fallout
Three years after an out-of-control BP well unleashed the largest offshore oil spill in the nation's history, the company continues to face legal fallout. While enmeshed in a complex courtroom battle over how much oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, BP also launched an aggressive attack against the judge and claims administrator overseeing its settlement with victims of the 2010 spill, arguing that the payouts should be halted because the process was riddled with fraud.
[Photo: An activist protests in front of a New Orleans courthouse on the first day of the civil trial over the 2010 Gulf oil spill on Feb. 25, 2013.] less
No. 10 -- Gulf oil spill legal fallout
Three years after an out-of-control BP well unleashed the largest offshore oil spill in the nation's history, the company continues to face legal fallout. While ... more
Photo: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
No. 9 -- George Mitchell dies
In the modern U.S. oil and gas industry, perhaps no man was more revered than George Mitchell. Known as "the father of fracking", his dogged persistence and keen instincts are credited for helping to launch the nation's current oil boom. He died Friday, July 26, 2013 at his home in Galveston at age 94.
[Photo: The Texas A&M Ross Volunteer Company stands next to an image of George Mitchell during his public memorial service Aug. 6, 2013, in Galveston.] less
No. 9 -- George Mitchell dies
In the modern U.S. oil and gas industry, perhaps no man was more revered than George Mitchell. Known as "the father of fracking", his dogged persistence and keen instincts are ... more
Photo: Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle
No. 8 -- Arctic drilling troubles
The year opened with Shell's scramble to recover control of the Kulluk drilling rig, which ran aground New Year's Eve night near Alaska's Kodiak Island. The company's failed Arctic effort touched off calls for more rigorous regulatory oversight of drilling in the frigid region. While some companies responded by pulling back on their Arctic plans, Shell announced in October that it would make another bid to find crude in Arctic waters in 2014.
[Photo: Royal Dutch Shell's drilling rig Kulluk runs aground off a small Alaska island on Tuesday Jan. 1, 2013.] less
No. 8 -- Arctic drilling troubles
The year opened with Shell's scramble to recover control of the Kulluk drilling rig, which ran aground New Year's Eve night near Alaska's Kodiak Island. The company's ... more
Photo: PA3 Jon Klingenberg / Coast Guard/Associated Press
No. 7 -- Pegasus pipeline spill
As national debate waged over the environmental risks of moving certain types of crude by pipeline, Exxon Mobil's Pegasus pipeline ruptured and sent 5,000 barrels of oil flowing through the streets of an Arkansas neighborhood in March. The incident provided fuel for opponents to the Keystone XL pipeline. Exxon blamed the rupture on a manufacturing defect.
[Photo: A member of Exxon Mobil's cleanup crew is reflected in water and oil in a drainage ditch in Mayflower, Ark.] less
No. 7 -- Pegasus pipeline spill
As national debate waged over the environmental risks of moving certain types of crude by pipeline, Exxon Mobil's Pegasus pipeline ruptured and sent 5,000 barrels of oil ... more
Photo: Courtney Spradlin / Associated Press
No. 6 -- Shallow-water accidents
A fire waged for nearly two days on a Hercules Offshore jack-up rig in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico in July. The runaway gas well sealed itself and the 44 workers were evacuated safely. Still, the timing of the incident was especially bad for the industry, coming as an investigation continued into Black Elk's fatal platform explosion in 2013. The back-to-back events sparked increased scrutiny of regulations of shallow-water oil and gas activity.
[Photo: A fire rages on the Hercules Offshore 265 rig, causing the drill floor and derrick to collapse following an explosion in July.] less
No. 6 -- Shallow-water accidents
A fire waged for nearly two days on a Hercules Offshore jack-up rig in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico in July. The runaway gas well sealed itself and the 44 ... more
Photo: U.S. Coast Guard / Associated Press
No. 5 -- Ethanol fight
The ethanol industry suffered a bad year, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed a reduction in the amount of renewable fuel mandated for blending into the nation's gasoline supply. Further, the Associated Press released a scathing report on ethanol's environmental effects, citing environmentalists and scientists who say corn ethanol is not a viable strategy for combating global warming.
[Photo: A plant that produces ethanol is next to a cornfield near Coon Rapids, Iowa.] less
No. 5 -- Ethanol fight
The ethanol industry suffered a bad year, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed a reduction in the amount of renewable fuel mandated for blending into the nation's ... more
Photo: Charlie Riedel / Associated Press
No. 4 -- Refinery accidents
It was a bad year for refinery safety, as well. Fatal explosions at Exxon's Beaumont refinery and a Williams Co. chemical plant in Louisiana grabbed headlines early in the year. Further, a federal investigation determined that Chevron ignored warnings about piping at its Richmond, Calif. refinery, leading to a fire that left nearby residents sick.
[Photo: An ambulance responds to a fire at Exxon Mobil's Beaumont refinery on April 17, 2013. Twelve contract workers were hospitalized and one later died.] less
No. 4 -- Refinery accidents
It was a bad year for refinery safety, as well. Fatal explosions at Exxon's Beaumont refinery and a Williams Co. chemical plant in Louisiana grabbed headlines early in the year. ... more
Photo: Guiseppe Barranco / Guiseppe Barranco/The Enterprise
No. 3 -- Natural gas exports
As the shale boom continued to unleash a bounty of natural gas in the United States, the Obama administration approved several projects to sell the fuel overseas. But factions on both sides of the gas export debate were unsatisfied. While critics insisted that exports would cause gas prices to surge for U.S. customers, supporters argued that the approvals would provide an economic boon and weren't coming fast enough.
[Photo: The Golden Pass terminal in Port Arthur, Louisiana is being converted into a natural gas export facility.] less
No. 3 -- Natural gas exports
As the shale boom continued to unleash a bounty of natural gas in the United States, the Obama administration approved several projects to sell the fuel overseas. But factions ... more
Photo: Golden Pass Products / Golden Pass Products
No. 2 -- Keystone XL
TransCanada completed construction on the southern leg of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, despite numerous protests and legal challenges by landowners and environmentalists. The company announced that the line, which traverses Texas, will begin carrying oil from the Cushing, Okla. crude hub to Gulf Coast refineries within weeks. Meanwhile, U.S. approval of the pipeline's northern section, slated to move Canadian oil sands crude across the national border, remains mired in fierce political debate.
[Photo: Crewmen lower pipe for TransCanada's Keystone XL project in Wood County, Texas.] less
No. 2 -- Keystone XL
TransCanada completed construction on the southern leg of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, despite numerous protests and legal challenges by landowners and environmentalists. The ... more
Photo: Cody Duty / Houston Chronicle
No. 1 -- The U.S. oil boom
The nation's oil output is expected to leap by a record-setting 1 million barrels per day by the end of the year, challenging Saudi Arabia as the world's top crude oil producer. Texas has led the way, with a surge in drilling activity in the South Texas Eagle Ford Shale and the West Texas Permian Basin. The oil boom has reignited talk of national energy independence and debate about lifting the ban on oil exports.
[Photo: An oil pump jack sits on the Osage County ranch in Oklahoma.] less
No. 1 -- The U.S. oil boom
The nation's oil output is expected to leap by a record-setting 1 million barrels per day by the end of the year, challenging Saudi Arabia as the world's top crude oil producer. ... more
Photo: Mayra Beltran / Houston Chronicle
