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Authors:
Natalie Burclaff, Business Reference Specialist, Science, Technology & Business
Editors:
Joseph Sams, Janice Herd, Lawrence Marcus, Ellen Terrell, Angela Wilson, and Joan Sullivan, Business Reference Specialist, Science, Technology & Business
Note: This guide is adapted from the Library of Congress Business & Economics Research Advisor (BERA) issue 5/6: The Oil and Gas Industry
Created: Winter 2005
Last Updated: July 2020
Oil and natural gas are major industries in the energy market and play an influential role in the global economy as the world's primary fuel sources. The processes and systems involved in producing and distributing oil and gas are highly complex, capital-intensive, and require state-of-the-art technology.
This guide looks at the business of oil and gas and is intended to serve as a research aid to sources worldwide, with a specific emphasis on the United States. It covers a brief history of the oil and gas industry, an overview of companies and organizations, statistic and pricing resources, and regulations. The industry is often divided into three segments:
These three areas are reflected in the organization of the guide. Renewable and alternative energy companies are discussed in our Green Business: Sources of Information Guide.
The following glossaries are freely available online and can be useful in understanding the terminology used in these industries.
The oil and gas industry has been covered at length in books and other publications. Throughout this guide, specific resources are recommended within a particular subtopic of oil and gas. Below are books that provide a good overview of the entire industry and may be useful starting points. The following materials link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are provided when available.