Electricity is forecast to capture an increasing share of the total energy market. 

 Oil and natural gas prices are expected to increase and may double by 2040, 

 depending upon international developments and the rate of technological 

 change. 



■Total United States production of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons has 

 remained relatively constant since 1 989, though the rate is lower than that of the 

 late 1970's and early 1980's. Only 27,370 exploratory or development wells 

 were drilled in 1991, compared with 27,740 in 1989 and 70,000 as recently as 

 1985. Similarly, capitalized expenditures for exploration and development of 

 crude petroleum and natural gas dropped almost 80 percent between 1982 and 

 1987. 



• Proven oil reserves of 22.6 billion barrels and natural gas reserves of 167 trillion 

 cubic feet will provide for approximately 8 years of production at current rates. 

 Recoverable undiscovered and inferred crude oil resources in the United States 

 are estimated to range from 98 to 144 billion barrels, depending upon 

 technology. Recoverable natural gas resources are estimated to be between 

 930 and 1 ,339 trillion cubic feet. Much of the significant onshore undiscovered 

 recoverable crude oil and natural gas is thought to reside under public lands. 

 Demand is expected to continue for these energy resources, particularly if 

 increased emphasis is placed on natural gas production. 



■The demonstrated reserves for coal exceed 450 billion short tons. Much of the 

 coal in the Eastern and Midwestern United States is privately held, including 

 valid and existing rights to deposits underlying some national forests. Extensive 

 reserves also exist beneath the northern Great Plains. While environmentally 

 sound mining is the practice today, acid mine drainage from abandoned or 

 unreclaimed mines and subsidence remain as problems, particularly in the East. 



- Eastern coal resources are extensive; however, coal recoverability has become 

 an issue in some areas. Typically, 80 percent of the coal is recovered at open 

 cast mines, and 50 percent from underground mines. The remainder is lost in 

 waste materials, left in place to provide support or prevent subsidence, or 

 cannot be mined profitably due to its physical characteristics or location. 

 Recently revised estimates place recoverability at as low as 30 percent for 

 some underground mining districts in the East. As a result, minable coal 

 resources in these areas may be depleted sooner than previously expected (in 

 some cases within 50 years). 



-The United States is a mineral-rich nation, with supplies of many metallic and 

 precious metals sufficient to accommodate domestic demand through 2040. The 

 country is a net exporter of gold, phosphate rock, and molybdenum. 

 Nonetheless, 40 percent of the unprocessed metals and 12 percent of fertilizer 

 and chemical minerals used in the United States are imported. 



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