Fossil Fuel Production on Federal Lands Drops
Fossil fuel production on U.S. federal lands took another dip during fiscal year 2012, even as energy production nationwide soared to a record high, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
During fiscal year 2012 — which ended last Sept. 30 and is the most recent period for which the agency’s data is available– federal lands produced 17.1 quadrillion British thermal units of fossil fuel energy, the lowest level in at least a decade. That was a 3.7 percent decline from the year before.
In addition to a drop in coal production, federal-land fossil fuel output suffered from continuing declines in oil and natural gas production offshore, including the Gulf of Mexico...
