Oil and gas production growing under Obama?

The Obama administration today continued to trumpet growth in domestic oil and gas production that happened under its watch. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, in a blog post published today, wrote that “domestic oil and natural gas production has increased every year President Obama has been in office.” President Obama and administration officials have been quick to point out the strides taken by the oil and gas industry during his term, citing the fact in his State of the Union address this year and in countless other remarks. Those comments have frequently frustrated some in the energy industry, who say the gains in U.S. oil and gas production have happened because of innovation and ingenuity, not politics. Salazar, in his blog post detailed several examples of industry growth during Obama’s term, emphasizing “the President’s strong record on oil and gas development.”

Nationwide, domestic oil and natural gas production has increased every year President Obama has been in office. In 2011, American oil production reached the highest level in nearly a decade and natural gas production reached an all-time high. America’s dependence on foreign oil has gone down every single year since President Obama took office. We have cut net imports by ten percent – a million barrels a day – in the last year alone. At the same time, we have implemented comprehensive reforms in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that has made offshore development safer and more responsible.

In addition, Salazar wrote, the president has overseen expansion of drilling and production on federal lands and waters. That figure “increased by 13 percent during the first three years of the Obama administration combined, compared with the last three years of the previous administration.”

Zain Shauk at Fuel Fix