ABSTRACT
July 2016 experienced a dramatic dip in oil and gas leases authorized on public land. Over the course of the month, only 25 leases were authorized while 406 leases were closed. This is a similar downward trend compared to July 2015, but more severe—93 leases were authorized over that month. Wyoming accounts for the vast majority of leases closed last month (159 leases). Yet, the 70 leases closed in Mississippi are particularly dramatic as the state represents such a small number of oil and gas leases as it is. Sharkey, Mississippi lost 38 oil and gas leases, leaving only 2 authorized leases in the whole county.
NATIONWIDE TRENDS
In July 2016, 25 leases were authorized on public land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for petroleum exploration purposes. This is compared to 93 authorized in July 2015. 46,373 acres were acquired with these 25 authorized leases. That is a decrease of 72,431.48 acres in contrast to the 118,805 acres authorized in July 2015.
While 25 oil and gas leases were authorized through the BLM in July, 406 leases were closed over the same month. This is a decrease of 50 leases as opposed to July 2015 when there were 456 closed leases. 488,244 acres were released with these 406 closed leases. This is 17,553.45 more acres released in July compared to the 470,690 released in the same month in 2015.
| July 2016 | July 2015 | Net | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorized Lease | 25 | 93 | 68 | 73.12% |
| Authorized Acres | 46,373 | 118,805 | 72,431.48 | 60.97% |
| Closed Lease | 406 | 456 | 50 | 10.96% |
| Closed Acres | 488,244 | 470,690 | 17,553.45 | 3.73% |
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 petroleum exploration leases on public land overseen by the BLM. Wyoming is the most active state with 19,070 authorized leases, accounting for 31.48% of the overall petroleum exploration leases in the United States. This is 5,520 more leases than New Mexico, the second most active state, which hosts 13,550 petroleum exploration leases and accounts for 22.37% of the overall petroleum exploration leases in the United States. Colorado has 7,411 fewer lease than New Mexico, making it the third most active state, with 6,139 petroleum exploration leases—22.37% of the authorized petroleum exploration leases overseen by the BLM.
| State | July 2016 (Authorized Leases) |
|---|---|
| Wyoming | 19,070 |
| New Mexico | 13,550 |
| Colorado | 6,139 |
| Montana | 3,809 |
| Utah | 3,793 |
Chart 2: States By Authorized Lease
in the United States Of America
CLOSED LEASES IN JULY
Wyoming, Mississippi, and Nevada had the most closed BLM oil and gas leases over the course of July 2016. Wyoming is distinguished by its 159 closed leases, the most closed that month and 8 more than July 2016. This is 89 more leases than Mississippi, which lost 70 oil and gas leases—an increase of 70 leases from last July. Nevada jettisoned 18 fewer leases than Mississippi. The 52 petroleum exploration leases closed in Nevada are 88 fewer than July last year.
| State | July 2016 (Closed Leases) |
July 2015 (Closed Leases) |
Net | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | 159 | 151 | 8 | 5.3% |
| Mississippi | 70 | 0 | 70 | |
| Nevada | 52 | 140 | 88 | 62.86% |
| Utah | 41 | 18 | 23 | 127.78% |
| New Mexico | 26 | 8 | 18 | 225% |
COUNTY TRENDS
CLOSED LEASES IN JULY
Sharkey, White Pine, and Niobrara counties had the most closed BLM oil and gas leases over the course of July 2016. Sharkey County, Mississippi is distinguished by its 38 closed leases, the most closed that month and 38 more than July 2015. This is 3 more leases than White Pine County, Nevada, which lost 35 oil and gas leases—a decrease of 67 leases from last July. Niobrara County, Wyoming jettisoned 6 fewer leases than White Pine. The 29 petroleum exploration leases closed in Niobrara County are 28 more than July last year.
| County | July 2016 (Closed Leases) |
July 2015 (Closed Leases) |
Net | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharkey, Mississippi | 38 | 0 | 38 | |
| White Pine, Nevada | 35 | 102 | 67 | 65.69% |
| Niobrara, Wyoming | 29 | 1 | 28 | 2,800% |
| Carbon, Wyoming | 22 | 9 | 13 | 144.44% |
| Natrona, Wyoming | 18 | 10 | 8 | 80% |
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.