Energizing Oklahoma
Mark Green
Posted August 29, 2016
As the United States’ fifth-ranked state in total energy production, Oklahoma has virtually the entire package: oil and natural gas (both top-five in output nationally), the sprawling oil pipeline and storage hub at Cushing, refineries and renewable energy – found in all that wind that comes sweepin’ down the plain, of course.
Click on the thumbnail to open a two-page energy infographic for the Sooner State.
Let’s start with natural gas. Oklahoma produced nearly 2.5 trillion cubic feet in 2015, an all-time high for the state, ranking it third nationally. Production increased nearly 50 percent from 2006 to 2015.
Oklahoma crude oil production also is resurgent, reaching 157 million barrels last year, the highest total since 1985. Production has increased 157.5 percent since 2005. Thanks, fracking.
On the consumption side, Oklahomans use more natural gas than any other fuel. Gas accounted for 45.5 percent of the state’s net electricity generation in 2015. At the same time, Oklahoma ranked fourth in the nation in electricity generated from wind with 18.6 percent of its power coming from that renewable source.
The state had five operating refineries with a combined daily capacity of more than 500,000 barrels as of January 2015, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Oklahoma is integral in an American energy renaissance that has made the U.S. the world’s leading producer of oil and natural gas, which has helped our economy and increased our energy security while benefiting individual households with energy cost savings. Oklahoma natural gas has helped boost the use of cleaner-burning gas across the country – the primary reason U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide are near 20-year lows.
Pro-development policies are needed to sustain and grow safe energy production. Page 2 of the infographic includes a chart showing the benefits of a pro-development path, as well as the potential negative impacts of policies characterized by regulatory constraints.
Energy is essential for virtually every aspect of our daily lives. It powers national, state and local economies, gets us to work and goes into products we rely on for health and comfort. Safe, responsible energy development here at home is linked to national security as well as Americans’ individual prosperity and liberty – in Oklahoma and all the 50 states of energy.
About The Author
Mark Green joined API after a career in newspaper journalism, including 16 years as national editorial writer for The Oklahoman in the paper’s Washington bureau. Previously, Mark was a reporter, copy editor and sports editor at an assortment of newspapers. He earned his journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma and master’s in journalism and public affairs from American University. He and his wife Pamela have two grown children and six grandchildren.