Bloomberg. (2021, July 13). U.S. Oil Consumption Surging With Industry Firing at Full Blast. Retrieved August 9, 2021, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-13/u-s-oil-consumption-surging-with-industry-firing-at-full-blast

 

While the U.S. recovers from the affects of a pandemic, oil demand is increasing drastically. The return of U.S. oil consumption comes with jet fuel use 24% below July 2019, which suggests that when air travel normalizes we may see prices increase. Additionally, propane use surged while Americans were stuck at home during the pandemic, and grilling more than ever before. The combination of effects from COVID have led to a large increase in oil demand and price, which may lead to a surge in the demand for harvesting oil. 

 

Since we are currently recovering from the effects of COVID, people are beginning to return to their normal lives. In turn, this is generating a larger increase in the demand for oil and petroleum products. One example of this, is that in the week leading up to the fourth of July, the weekly gasoline supplied reached a record in EIA data. The amount of diesel supplied was at 4.07 million barrels per day, the highest since 2017. While the need for oil begins to return after the pandemic, so will the need for harvesting oil, and while the increase of harvesting oil continues, so will environmental damage. Ultimately, an increase in demand for oil and petroleum products may have negative effects on the environment.