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The Pro-Consumer U.S. Energy Revolution

consumers energy costs oil and natural gas production

Mark Green
Posted April 9, 2019

America’s energy revolution is decidedly pro-consumer. Indeed, surging U.S. natural gas and oil production has significantly helped individual Americans and their families with their budgets, plan travel and more.

We’ll go mostly visual to absorb this – in a handful of charts from API’s Quarterly Industry Outlook, prepared by Chief Economist Dean Foreman. …

America’s natural gas and oil resurgence has played a major role in that when you think about the average family’s needs for driving, home heating and keeping the lights on (remembering that natural gas is the leading U.S. fuel for power generation). It follows, then, that families spending less on energy had more of their disposable income available for other needs.

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Explaining Natural Gas Price Fluctuations

consumers natural gas energy costs prices

Dean Foreman
Posted November 21, 2018

Recent headlines on natural gas prices may leave Americans feeling whipsawed by marketplace fluctuations (see here and here). So, let’s look at what’s been going on with natural gas this year. But first, four points to keep in mind:

Affordable natural gas has saved the average household more than $100 per year in recent years; (2) most consumers are typically insulated from wholesale price variations – the focus of recent news coverage; (3) price increases this month to date are mainly the result of lower inventories coupled with cold weather forecasts that, of course, can change suddenly; and (4) recent price movements in natural gas futures are well within the ranges seen during the resurgence in U.S. energy production

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Natural Gas Keeps Delivering for U.S. Consumers

consumers natural gas energy costs emission reductions

Mark Green
Posted January 17, 2017

These reports are significant in a couple of ways. Lower natural gas prices obviously benefit consumers, and they also benefit when costs are lower for the leading fuel for electricity generation. In addition, our air is cleaner because cleaner-burning natural gas has reduced carbon emissions from the power sector to 25-year lows. Future U.S. energy policy should recognize these natural gas benefits and others – including lower costs for manufacturers and export opportunities – by fostering more domestic natural gas production.

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Energy Year in Review

consumers gasoline prices energy costs emission reductions energy exports access infrastructure

Jack Gerard
Posted December 28, 2016

Despite occasional policy obstacles, the U.S. energy revolution continues to enhance America’s economic and national security and deliver major benefits to consumers, the environment and manufacturers. With commonsense, market-based, consumer-focused energy policies, the new Congress and incoming administration can maintain and extend our global energy leadership.

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Winter and the Northeast’s Infrastructure Needs

consumers energy costs infrastructure natural gas pipelines

Michael Tadeo
Posted October 28, 2016

Earlier this month the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) issued its winter fuels outlook in which it said most U.S. households can expect higher heating costs this winter. In a conference call with reporters, API Chief Economist Erica Bowman discussed the approaching winter and underscored the need for increased natural pipeline capacity in the Northeast to help consumers there who historically have paid higher prices for energy than other parts of the country.

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American Energy and Consumers

american energy energy bills energy costs Economy jobs gulf exports keystone xl pipeline

Mary Schaper
Posted March 3, 2015

NY Times: Sometimes, even the supposed experts can lose track of a billion dollars or two. Or, in this case, $100 billion. While few outside of Texas and North Dakota are complaining about this huge savings that consumers have enjoyed since energy prices began falling last summer, economists have been stumped recently trying to figure out exactly what consumers are doing with the windfall.

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Study: Shale Energy Benefits Schools, State and Local Governments

shale energy shale benefits energy costs fracking economic benefits energy policies

Mark Green
Posted June 5, 2014

A new study details the way America’s unconventional energy revolution – oil and natural gas safely developed from shale and other tight-rock formations with advanced hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling – is benefiting Americans where they live.

The new analysis by IHS shows that electricity and natural gas cost savings from shale energy is, in turn, saving billions of dollars for the nation’s school districts and state and local governments.

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