U.S. natural gas and crude oil production increased last year at the fastest pace ever for a single country. U.S. gas output soared 86 billion cubic meters in 2018, the largest annual increase by any country ever, according to statistics published Tuesday by BP Plc. That’s roughly equivalent to consumption in the U.K., one of the oldest users of the fuel, and almost 40% more than the previous record set by Russia in 2010. And in a twin first, U.S. oil output jumped 2.2 million barrels a day -- also the largest amount ever by a single country in a year. “What you saw last year was really quite amazing -- this amazing ... (full story)