US energy exports grow 270 percent since 2005

Fuel Fix:

Although it has long been clear that soaring energy production in the United States has cut the country’s net energy imports in half, new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration helps illustrate some notable trends.

The latest monthly report from the agency shows continued growth in U.S. fossil fuel production, leading to a 22 percent drop in petroleum imports between 2005 and 2012, according to agency data.

Meantime, U.S. exports of petroleum products jumped 270 percent between 2005 and 2012.

Energy exports this year are on pace to grow again, already outpacing 2011 and 2012 through the first five months of the year.

Federal forecast: Global oil price will decline through end of 2013

Despite the growth in exports, the nation still relied on imports for 16 percent of its energy needs in 2012, according to the data.

The transformation in U.S. energy exports began when production of U.S. natural gas started soaring in 2005. At the same time, Americans are dramatically decreasing their consumption of oil and petroleum products, largely because of federal requirements that cars use less fuel.
...

The piece has several charts on energy sources within the US.  The combination of new sources of production of oil and gas and reduced consumption has led to a significant drop in imports.  We could wipe out imports of oil and gas if Democrats would get out of the way of domestic production on federal sites.  It would also create thousands of jobs and grow the US economy.  It would also open the way to more domestic manufacturing jobs.