What is it?
Derived from crude oil, petroleum includes fuels such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and heating oil. Unlike natural gas and coal, its primary role in Maryland is providing energy for transportation rather than generating electricity.
Crude oil is extracted from underground reservoirs and transported to refineries, where it is processed into fuels used by vehicles, aircraft, equipment, and buildings. Burning these fuels releases greenhouse gases and other air pollutants, while spills and leaks can affect surrounding land and water.
- Air Emissions: Burning petroleum releases carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and other pollutants that contribute to climate change and poor air quality.
- Transportation Impact: Transportation accounted for about 35% of Maryland’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, making it the state’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.
- Spill Risk: Oil and fuel spills during transportation, storage, and use can contaminate soil, groundwater, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Fitting Into the Energy Mix
Serving primarily as a transportation fuel, petroleum plays a limited role in Maryland’s electricity generation but remains an important part of the state’s overall energy use. Maryland does not produce or refine petroleum, so supplies enter the state by tanker ships and the Colonial pipeline, which carries petroleum products from the Gulf Coast toward the Northeast. Transportation is the largest consumer of petroleum in Maryland, followed by industry, residences, and commercial businesses.