"America's Oil Consumption Is Rising, Not Falling, Outpacing China's"

"For the first time in 14 years, the nation's crude oil consumption in 2013 was higher than China's, new figures show."

"U.S. oil demand reversed course in dramatic fashion in 2013, as the nation's growth in crude consumption outpaced perennial leader China for the first time since 1999, according to oil company BP's annual compendium of world energy statistics.

The U.S. increase follows two years of declines, and dampens hopes that the world's largest oil guzzler was permanently reining in its appetite for crude. The nation's oil use rose by 400,000 barrels per day to a daily draw of 18.9 million barrels; China's oil consumption grew by 390,000 barrels a day, to 10.8 million barrels a day, according to the BP figures released last month.

Are these data points a harbinger of things to come or just an aberration?' asked Christof Rühl, group chief economist at BP. 'Too early to tell is the appropriate response.'"

Elizabeth Douglass reports for InsideClimate News July 14, 2014.