Only Five States Produce 56% of Our Oil
And while we're on the subject of oil-producing states . . .
According to figures just released by the Energy Information Administration, just five states produce 56 percent of our domestic oil. Texas, the long-time leader, has seen a recent upsurge with the development of the Eagle Ford Shale through hydrofracking. Alaska, the long-time #2, has been on a downward slope from the North Slope for some time. It may soon fall below California. North Dakota’s Bakken Shale has put it on a rapidly rising curve where it has passed Oklahoma and may soon move into second place ahead of Alaska.
Altogether 31 of the 50 states have a share in producing 2 billion barrels per year, about one-third of our total consumption. (Recent reports that we have become a net exporter refer to refined oil products, not crude oil.) New York produces a modest 384 million barrels a year, Missouri 147 million, Arizona 40 million and Virginia a miniscule 5 million.
What are the states that don’t produce oil? Everything east of the Appalachians, from Georgia to Maine, where there is little sedimentary rock. Only New York and Virginia produce small amounts out of their hinterlands. Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa in the Upper Midwest and Idaho, Oregon and Washington in the Pacific Northwest round out the non-producers. And then of course there is volcanic Hawaii.
With only a few exceptions, every producing state has been in long-term decline. Those that have seen recent upturns are Pennsylvania, North Dakota, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana and Utah. Offshore production in the Gulf of Mexico and California has also been falling long term, although this may be more a result of lack of permitting than declining resources.
