Colorado State Land Board
Americans’ fossil fuel consumption dropped 9% last year to its lowest point in three decades. That’s according to a
new report by the Energy Information Administration, which said the dip was also the nation’s largest recorded decrease in fossil fuel use.
A major driver of that was less driving: there was a 15% decline in energy consumption from transportation, largely because of the pandemic.
University of Colorado-Boulder economics professor Daniel Kaffine said transportation has steadily made up more and more of America’s total fossil fuel consumption. Now, it’s a leader in that category.
For 2021, though, Kaffine suspects a rebound in transportation as people take family trips and head back to the office. However, after that peak, he said it’s hard to say what the longer-term effects of telecommuting will be.