Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024
Is the US producing more energy than it consumes for the first time since the 1950s because of Biden-Harris policies?
The U.S. produced more energy than it consumed, for the first time since 1957, before Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took office.
Campaigning for Harris, former President Bill Clinton claimed that “we’re now producing more energy than we consume for the first time since the 1950s because this administration followed what they called an all-of-the-above strategy — basically, natural gas, solar, wind, geothermal.”
Production surpassed consumption in 2019; Biden and Harris took office in January 2021.
Consumption generally began to level off in the early 2000s; production generally began increasing around 2010.
In 2019, the U.S. produced 101 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) of energy and consumed 100.2 quads.
Increased production was “largely a result of increases in crude oil and natural gas production,” the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported.
Production has continued to exceed consumption through 2023.
Clinton is scheduled to campaign for Harris in Wisconsin on Oct. 31, 2024.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- U.S. Energy Information Administration In 2019, U.S. energy production exceeded consumption for the first time in 62 years - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
- ABC15 Arizona Former President Bill Clinton speaks at Harris-Walz campaign event in Phoenix
- U.S. Energy Information Administration U.S. energy facts - imports and exports - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
- PolitiFact Overall U.S. energy production is at a record high
- Institute for Energy Research The United States Was Energy Independent in 2019 for the First Time Since 1957 - IER
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