sustainability - SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Sustainability 2011 , 3 1876

Figure 5. Energy consumed within the U.S. oil and gas industry (Data from the U.S.

Bureau of Census of Mineral Industries). Data summarized in Table 6.

Table 6. Estimates of energy costs, gained and EROI associated with energy produced by

the U.S. oil and gas industry.

Year

Energy Gains

(Production)

Total (EJ)

Direct Energy

Total (PJ)

Indirect Energy

Total (PJ)

Direct +

Indirect Total

Production

EROI

1919 2.70 139.2 32.0 171 15.79

1939 11.31 488.0 79.0 567 19.93

1954 25.98 53.9 193.0 1096 23.72

1958 29.19 991.0 661.0 1652 17.68

1963 35.28 1091.2 768.0 1859 18.99

1972 47.17 1435.3 943.0 2378 19.85

1977 41.29 1812.4 2013.0 3826 10.79

1982 41.33 1618.6 3727.0 5345 7.73

1987 40.44 1437.6 1342.0 2779 14.54

1992 40.03 1361.5 1101.0 2463 16.24

1997 40.66 1595.0 1265.0 2860 14.23

2002 38.75 1336.2 1212.0 2548 15.23

2007 37.99 1084.6 2485.0 3569 10.65

3.1. Sensitivity Analysis of Results

Energy output: The production of oil and gas increased from 422 million barrels oil equivalent
(BOE) in 1919 to a peak of 3,517 in 1970 and then declined to 1,811 in 2008. We compared EIA and
Oil and Gas Journal of production data and they were not significantly different (Figure 6).

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

1919 1939 1954 1958 1963 1972 1977 1982 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007

EJ

Year

Gas

Oil

Electric

Indirect

G