Natural gas supplies 25 percent of all the energy Americans consume. It's our second largest source of energy. Only oil provides more energy than natural gas. Natural gas has many different uses. For example, industry uses it for heat and as a source of power.
Many households rely on it for heating and cooking.
Power companies use it to make electricity. The United States consumed 18.2 million barrels of oil a day in 1996. About half of the oil we consume is produced here in the United States. The rest is imported. While the world holds a finite supply of oil, we're not in danger of running out any time soon.