When Americans think of oil-producing states, they likely think of Texas, Oklahoma, or other oil patch states. Ohio is often ignored nor considered in the list of oil producing states, however, and that is a mistake.
In 2023, Ohio produced a record-breaking nearly 30 million barrels of oil, a 35 percent increase from the previous year. Ohio is the 11th-largest oil-producing state in the U.S. Production has continued to grow, with the first quarter of 2023 seeing an increase of over 65 percent compared to the first quarter of 2022.
In fact, the Ohio oil and natural gas industry supported approximately 375,000 jobs in 2019, or about 5.3 percent of the state's total employment. A 2021 analysis by the American Petroleum Institute (API) found that the industry supported this number of direct and indirect jobs in 2019. The industry in its entirety contributed over $58.8 billion to the state's economy in 2019.
Extracted from shale gas wells around the state, natural gas has also become a key export for Ohio. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2023 production of natural gas was 13 times higher in Ohio than it was in 2013. The industrial sector used about one-fourth of the natural gas produced. The residential sector accounted for almost 20 percent of the state's total natural gas deliveries to consumers.
Coal production is also important to Ohio's energy sector. Just as West Virginia and Kentucky have been vital in coal mining, Ohio currently ranks 13th in the United States in coal production.
These are very promising signs. And Ohio also has another great export: Vice President J.D. Vance. In his campaigns for Senate and for vice president, Mr. Vance has been a vocal supporter of Ohio's fossil fuel industries.
But many left-wing politicians and business leaders oppose fracking and will not accept fracked oil. While Ohio's production of oil and gas is impressive, it is still subject to an "East Coast barrier." For many years, oil produced in the Midwest has flowed westward. This has been due to a lack of pipeline infrastructure to carry oil to refineries on the East Coast. By shipping oil to East Coast refineries, Ohio will help those refineries remain open and decrease dependency on imports of foreign oil.
Today, the fossil fuel industry needs the vice president's voice and support. Those on the East Coast are trying to block Ohio fossil fuels because they do not conform to woke Environmental, Sustainability, and Governance (ESG) regulations. The Ohio energy industry needs the vice president to defend it against the woke crowd.
There is a false narrative going around that nuclear energy is filling our energy needs now, but that is untrue. Nuclear energy currently makes up a minuscule amount of America's energy needs, and wind will never become sufficient for dependable and cost-efficient energy needs. Most U.S. energy production comes from traditional sources, such as oil and natural gas. Just because renewables like nuclear or wind are heavily subsidized by taxpayers doesn't make them cost-efficient or competitive for many years to come.
A report by The Ohio Natural Energy Institute revealed that if Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia were a country, it would be the third-largest producer of natural gas in the world.
Ohio's importance in oil production and jobs is a cornerstone now and for the foreseeable future. The industry needs the help of the vice president. Vice President Vance should step up and fight for it.
Craig Shirley is Chairman of Citizens for the Republic.