ABSTRACT
Oil and Gas leasing on public land over the month of April 2016 had a decrease in both authorized leases (50.43%) and closed leases (11.59%) compared to April 2015. Utah had a modest uptick in authorized leases, for a total of 24—more than any other state. Meanwhile, Wyoming lost the most leases over April of any state (126).
NATIONWIDE TRENDS
In April 2016, 58 leases were authorized on public land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for oil and gas drilling purposes. This is compared to 117 authorized in April 2015. 51,254 acres were acquired with these 58 authorized leases. That is a decrease of 90,425.70 acres in contrast to the 141,680 acres authorized in April 2015.
While 58 oil and gas leases were authorized through the BLM in April, 366 leases were closed over the same month. This is a decrease of 48 leases as opposed to April 2015 when there were 414 closed leases. 358,813 acres were released with these 366 closed leases. This is 44,783.97 fewer acres released in April compared to the 403,597 released in the same month in 2015.
| April 2016 | April 2015 | Net | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorized Lease | 58 | 117 | 59 | 50.43% |
| Authorized Acres | 51,254 | 141,680 | 90,425.70 | 63.82% |
| Closed Lease | 366 | 414 | 48 | 11.59% |
| Closed Acres | 358,813 | 403,597 | 44,783.97 | 11.1% |
Chart 1: Authorized Leases By Year
in the United States Of America
STATE TRENDS
Wyoming, New Mexico, and Colorado are the three most active states when ranked by total authorized oil and gas drilling leases on public land overseen by the BLM. Wyoming is the most active state with 19,119 authorized leases, accounting for 31.29% of the overall oil and gas drilling leases in the United States. This is 5,577 more leases than New Mexico, the second most active state, which hosts 13,542 oil and gas drilling leases and accounts for 22.17% of the overall oil and gas drilling leases in the United States. Colorado has 7,352 fewer lease than New Mexico, making it the third most active state, with 6,190 oil and gas drilling leases—22.17% of the authorized oil and gas drilling leases overseen by the BLM.
| State | April 2016 (Authorized Leases) |
|---|---|
| Wyoming | 19,119 |
| New Mexico | 13,542 |
| Colorado | 6,190 |
| Montana | 3,861 |
| Utah | 3,807 |
Chart 2: States By Authorized Lease
in the United States Of America
CLOSED LEASES IN APRIL
Wyoming, Colorado, and Montana had the most closed BLM oil and gas leases over the course of April 2016. Wyoming is distinguished by its 126 closed leases, the most closed that month and 72 less than April 2016. This is 31 more leases than Colorado, which lost 95 oil and gas leases—an increase of 84 leases from last April. Montana jettisoned 48 fewer leases than Colorado. The 47 oil and gas drilling leases closed in Montana are 39 greater than April last year.
| State | April 2016 (Closed Leases) |
April 2015 (Closed Leases) |
Net | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | 126 | 198 | 72 | 36.36% |
| Colorado | 95 | 11 | 84 | 763.64% |
| Montana | 47 | 8 | 39 | 487.5% |
| Utah | 41 | 18 | 23 | 127.78% |
| North Dakota | 24 | 15 | 9 | 60% |
COUNTY TRENDS
CLOSED LEASES IN APRIL
Bent, Sweetwater, and Fremont counties had the most closed BLM oil and gas leases over the course of April 2016. Bent County, Colorado is distinguished by its 47 closed leases, the most closed that month and 47 more than April 2015. This is 9 more leases than Sweetwater County, Wyoming, which lost 38 oil and gas leases—an increase of 31 leases from last April. Fremont County, Wyoming jettisoned 10 fewer leases than Sweetwater. The 28 oil and gas drilling leases closed in Fremont County are 21 more than April last year.
| County | April 2016 (Closed Leases) |
April 2015 (Closed Leases) |
Net | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bent, Colorado | 47 | 0 | 47 | |
| Sweetwater, Wyoming | 38 | 7 | 31 | 442.86% |
| Fremont, Wyoming | 28 | 7 | 21 | 300% |
| Mccone, Montana | 23 | 0 | 23 | |
| Slope, North Dakota | 18 | 0 | 18 |
VIEW INDIVIDUAL STATE TRENDS REPORTS
While this report focuses on those states and counties with the greatest amount of authorized leases or significant change in activity on public land, this is hardly to neglect the extensive activity occurring elsewhere. For more locally focused reports, complete with graphs and time series tables, visit any of our listed states below or search for a particular county’s trend report on The Drillings™.
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
GET REPORT ALERTS
Each month, we release a new report on oil and gas lease trends. Get notified when the next report is published, updated data is released, or new features are available on The Drillings™ by joining our mailing list.
*These reports are summarizing oil and gas leases on public land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management and do not encompass sales or transfers occurring on private land.