Scientific Method / Science & Exploration  US’ total energy use
dropped in 2008  US total energy usage dropped in 2008 relative
to 2007 but, with only two …  A report, issued by the Department
of Energy and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, reports
that the total amount of energy used by the United States
dropped between 2007 and 2008. In 2008, the US used 99.2
quadrillion BTUs of energy, as compared to 101.5 quadrillion
BTUs in 2007—a 2.7 percent drop in usage. In 2008, less fossil
fuels were used, and more energy was derived from renewable
resources such as solar, wind, and nuclear.  Broken down in a
sector-by-sector analysis, the amount of energy used for
transportation and industrial uses—which is mainly
petroleum—dropped in 2008. This drop, the largest absolute
change between years for any energy source, was attributed to
the high spike in oil prices that occurred last year. The amount
of energy used in commercial and residential sectors, however,
saw a slight increase.  While energy from petroleum