U.S. Energy Consumption Reaches Record Level

U.S. Energy consumption in 1996 reached an all-time high of 89.9 quads or 94.8 x 10¹⁸ J, according to the DOE Energy Information Administration. This is an increase of 3.1% over consumption in 1995, which had also set a record. Since the 1973 energy crisis, U.S. energy consumption has increased 21%. Energy production from coal in 1996 was 22.6 quads (23.8 x 10¹⁸ J), also a record, which does not bode well for efforts to meet targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.