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Fossil Fuels in Louisiana

Louisiana is a major producer of fossil fuels in North America. It is the fourth-largest producer of crude oil, and also houses one of America's four strategic petroleum reserves. The state also produces natural gas, accounting for 5 percent of total gas reserves in the United States. Recent discoveries of natural gas deposits place its volume at seven times the annual consumption in the United States. Louisiana also has deposits of lignite coal, estimated to be at about 1 billion tons.

Oil
- Oil deposits in Louisiana were formed geologically over millions of years. During this period, the accumulated biomass from dead plant and animal material was converted into hydrocarbons from high pressure and heat thousands of feet underground. The history of oil drilling in Louisiana goes back to 1901. The kind of petroleum extracted in Louisiana is known as "light sweet crude." This type of petroleum contains low amounts of sulfur and is ideal for refining into gasoline, kerosene and diesel. Oil deposits are located in the southern part of the state, and 19 oil refineries are located in Louisiana. Offshore drilling is conducted off Louisiana's coast; these operations were temporarily banned in the wake of the British Petroleum oil spill in 2010.
Natural Gas
- Natural gas is formed by the same geological mechanisms that create crude oil. Formed deep underground, the gas seeps into pockets from where it must extracted. Natural gas consists primarily of methane, ethane and propane, plus other gasses. Gas deposits in Louisiana are located in the northern and southern parts of the state. A newly discovered reservoir of natural gas dubbed the Haynesville Shale may contain up to 160 trillion cubic feet of gas 10,000 feet underground. It is located in the northern part of Louisiana. Other types of gas deposits in the state are coal bed methane and natural gas created by crude oil deposits.
Coal
- Coal is formed over millions of years by the compression and heating of carboniferous material, primarily plant matter. The kind of coal found in Louisiana is lignite, a form of coal containing high amounts of impurities, moisture and organic matter. For this reason, lignite is of low quality as it produces less heat per volume than other types of coal such as anthracite. Most electricity generation in the United States is derived from coal-powered electricity generation, and lignite mined in Louisiana is used for the same purpose. Lignite deposits in Louisiana are located in the northwestern part of the state. Commercial mining began in 1985.

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