From staff reports
In conjunction with Saturday’s observance of National Petroleum Day, state trade groups and several lawmakers were at Drake Well Museum in Titusville on Thursday to celebrate the pivotal role Pennsylvania has played in the modern oil and gas industry since Edwin Drake struck oil in 1859.
Trade groups involved in Thursday’s event were the American Petroleum Institute Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Grade Crude Coalition, the Pennsylvania Independent Petroleum Producers and the Pennsylvania Independent Oil & Gas Association.
“I am proud to represent the birthplace of the petroleum industry in the Pennsylvania state Senate,” said state Sen. Scott Hutchinson. “What occurred here in 1859 helped catapult the United States onto the world stage as an industrial giant.”
The U.S., which is the largest producer of petroleum in the world, produces an average of 11.9 million barrels per day.
“Petroleum has historically been the largest major energy source for total annual U.S. energy consumption,” said state Rep. Kathy Rapp. “Try going the day without using any petroleum products – from car gas to plastic and more – to see the impact petroleum has had on our lives.”
In Pennsylvania, more than 100,000 active conventional wells produce about 14,000 barrels per day, generating $1.7 billion for the economy.
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