The EIA adds 10 states to its monthly natural gas reports

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) added 10 additional states to its geographic coverage of natural gas production this week. The states that will now be included in the EIA’s monthly coverage are Arkansas, California, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah and West Virginia. The EIA said the added states will greatly enhance the administration’s monthly coverage in its press release.

 

EIA Expanded NatGas Coverage

The recent additions represented 32% of total U.S. natural gas production in 2014, meaning that the states now tracked in the EIA’s monthly reports, with the addition of Alaska which reports its production directly, represent over 95% of total U.S. natural gas production. The information on the 10 new states will also be updated in a much timelier manner, with monthly production estimates available with a two-month lag. Previously, estimates for these 10 states were delayed by as much as two years, reports the EIA.

EIA Natgas Coverage

The states added in the EIA’s expanded coverage are some of the largest natural gas producers in the country, giving a more thorough insight to U.S. production. Pennsylvania represents approximately 15% of total production covered in the EIA’s most recent Monthly Crude Oil and Natural Gas Production, producing 13,130 MMcf/d of natural gas in April. The only state that produced more than Pennsylvania was Texas, which produced 24,256 MMcf/d in April, representing approximately 26% of total U.S. production.

The remaining 18 states/areas that are not included in the EIA’s monthly coverage consistently accounted for less than 5% of total U.S. natural gas production from 2005 to 2014, reports the EIA.

Crude Oil Update on the Way

In an exclusive interview with OAG360, Adam Sieminski, Administrator of the EIA, said a similar update regarding oil production will be released in the fall. The studies are related to the crude oil export issue, which is currently being studied at length by the Administration. 

“We will have really good data on how much light tight oil production is coming from these new oil shale fields,” Sieminski said. “When we combine that with our data on refining capacity and utilization figures, that will help answer the question of whether or not bottlenecks and refining capacity will lead to lower prices or shut-ins of domestic crude oil.”


Legal Notice