Industry Sectors

We Keep America Going Strong!
API is the only national trade association representing the entire the oil and natural gas industry. Our industry's major segments encompass all the steps involved in finding, producing, processing, transporting and marketing oil and natural gas. Together we provide employment for more than 1.8 million people in the United States.

Exploration and Production (Upstream) 
The Upstream Segment involves the exploration and production of oil and natural gas, from cutting-edge geology to high-tech offshore drilling platforms.  The U.S. is the world's third-largest producer, with more than 500,000 producing wells and approximately 3,800 oil and natural gas platforms operating in U.S. waters. Combined, they produce almost 2 billion barrels of oil a year!  

Downstream (Refining and Marketing)
The Downstream Segment includes the nation's 141 refineries, which process more than 15 million barrels of crude oil every day. This segment also includes transporting petroleum products by tanker trucks from thousands of local terminals to the approximately 161,770 service stations across the United States, and the ownership and operation of those retail outlets. 

Pipeline
This segment comprises the nation’s 165,000 miles of pipelines that move crude oil from wells on land and platforms in the oceans to refineries, and then to terminals where fuels are released to retail outlets. 

Marine
The Marine Segment involves all aspects of transporting petroleum and petroleum products by water, including port operations, maritime firefighting and oil spill response. Oil tankers make up a major portion of this segment. 

Service and Supply
An integral part of the oil and natural gas industry, more than 10,000 U.S. companies provide equipment, services, supplies, and design and engineering support for exploration, drilling, refining and other operations.  Many are local firms, while others are global manufacturers selling products for operations around the world.