The Interior Department said its agencies contributed $358 billion to the economy and supported more than 2 million jobs last year, with fossil fuel production providing nearly two-thirds of that economic activity.
The department’s annual fiscal year economic report said fossil fuel production was the biggest economic and jobs booster. Energy companies extracted 706 million barrels of oil, 3.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 421 million tons of coal, contributing $230 billion to the economy and supporting more than 1 million jobs.
Renewable power generation accounted for $3 billion in economic activity and 13,000 jobs, the report said.
Republicans and some centrist Democrats have criticized the Obama administration for not opening enough federal land to energy production for fossil fuels, saying the administration has instead favored using land for solar and wind energy. But Interior has said most of the shale energy regions that have turned the United States into the world’d top oil and gas producer exist on state and private lands.
National parks, wildlife refuges and monuments also were a driver of economic activity and employment for communities across the country, the report said. It said recreational visits to such sites hit 423 million, up from 407 million the previous year.
“This report demonstrates once again that the Department of the Interior is a powerful economic engine,” Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said. “Our parks and public lands support outdoor recreation, promote renewable energy and allow us to harness other domestic energy resources, create jobs and promote economic development in communities across all 50 states.”
