ABSTRACT
This chapter provides information on the major fossil fuels: coal, oil, natural gas, shale, and tar sands. It reviews a host of other energy resources that would ordinarily be classified in the fossil fuel category; many refer to them as renewable. Natural gas ranks second, after oil, in energy consumption in the United States and approximately 25% of the energy consumed is supplied by this fossil fuel. Best estimates of natural gas consumption by sector are the following: Transportation use is discussed further in the literature. However, if the shale is pretreated and fractionated at elevated temperatures, the kerogen decomposes and part of it is discharged as an oily vapor, which can be condensed into a viscous liquid referred to as shale oil. Vast new energy resources are being discovered every year across North America. As with most energy resources, the industry's future eventually became dependent on the price of crude oil.
