U.S. gas imports declining steadily

WASHINGTON, May 29 (UPI) -- The amount of natural gas imported into the U.S. market dropped 14 percent last year in part because of abundant domestic resources, the Energy Department said.

The Energy Information Administration, the statistical arm of the Energy Department, said natural gas production in 2013 hit 24.2 trillion cubic feet, which would be a new record if preliminary data are correct.

EIA said in its report net imports declined in part as a response to increases in domestic production. The level of natural gas imports have declined every year since 2007, the report said, and is at its lowest level since 1989.

In a separate monthly report, EIA said the United States imported 542 billion cubic feet of natural gas for the first two months of 2014, which is actually 5 percent more than the same period last year. Total natural gas exports for the two-month period were down nearly 7 percent year-on-year.

The annual report, published Wednesday, said 97 percent of all U.S. natural gas imports come through pipelines from Canada. Last year, Canadian natural gas imports declined overall by 6 percent.

The U.S. gets a minimal amount of gas sent through pipelines from Mexico.