US 1Q Oil Output Hits 14-Year High

U.S. oil output hit a 14-year high in the first quarter, rising 12 percent from a year earlier and topping 6 million barrels per day, the Energy Information Administration said Friday.

The EIA said that North Dakota, which passed California in December to become the third-largest oil-producing state in the U.S., jumped ahead of Alaska in March as the state with the second-largest oil output. Meanwhile, Texas remains far ahead in the No. 1 production spot.

The increase in oil production will help the U.S. become less reliant on foreign crude and push down prices.

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