Utah Oil & Gas Home

Welcome...

The state of Utah is ranked 11th in the country in crude oil production and 9th in natural gas gross production (Energy Information Administration; rankings based on 2010 oil production and 2009 natural gas production, not including Federal Offshore production areas). There are approximately 9,700 wells currently in production within the state.

The Oil and Gas Program of the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining (part of the Department of Natural Resources) was established in 1955 to prevent the waste of oil and natural gas, encourage conservation and protect correlative rights of oil and natural gas owners.

Our Mission today is to promote the exploration, development and conservation of oil and natural gas resources in Utah, to foster a fair economic return to the general public for such resources, and to maintain sound regulatory practices to ensure environmentally acceptable activities.

News and Announcements...

    Notice - Web Server Changed - January 9, 2012 (1/10/2012) 
    The Utah Oil and Gas Program changed web servers on Monday, January 9, 2012. If you encounter problems, please notifiy us by sending a message to OG-ePermit@utah.gov.

    Notice to Operators - 
    Annual Waste Management Plans Due by January 15, 2012     
    All operators of oil and gas wells (producing, shut in, or temporarily abandoned) are required to file an Annual Waste Management Plan. Rule R649-9-2.4 requires that the plan be filed each year by January 15 to account for the disposition of produced water and other E&P wastes. Click here to learn more.

    Call for 2012 Earth Day Award Nominations (12/5/2011) 
    The Board of Oil, Gas and Mining is now accepting nominations for 2012 Earth Day Awards. These awards recognize reclamation projects and innovations in environmental technology that go beyond what is required by regulation. It is an opportunity for companies to demonstrate technical expertise and pride in their industry, and concern not only for the economics of their industry but also for our environment.  Nominations are due by January 31, 2012. 
    Click here to learn more    .

    Mapping Coordinates Converted to NAD83 (10/18/2011) 
    The Utah Oil and Gas Program converted its UTM mapping coordinates from NAD27 to NAD83 (Zone 12) effective October 18, 2011. Latitude and longitude coordinates were converted on October 26. Mapping coordinates can be downloaded here.

    New Utah Well Count Record Reached (9/15/2011)
    This week, for the first time ever, Utah passed the 10,000 PRODUCING well mark. The count this week (based on statuses from well completion reports and monthly production reports) was 3,677 Producing Oil Wells and 6,328 Producing Gas Wells. Our records show that there have been 20,355 wells drilled in the state over the years, of which 13,206 are currently open and 7,149 are plugged. Click here to read more. Click here for more oil and gas statistics.

    Report Claims West Could Displace Foreign Energy Imports (The Deseret News; 7/11/2011)
    A recent report from the Western Energy Allicance claims that Utah and the West could produce enough energy from oil and natural gas to equal U.S. imports from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Venezuela and five other foreign countries combined. The report proposes that this scenario is possible by 2020 if federal policies that stymie growth, investment and expansion are abolished. To read the news release, click here. To read the Western Energy Alliance report, click here.

    Utah's Oil, Gas Industry Fighting to Recover from Recession (The Deseret News; 7/4/2011)
    Things are improving, but the state's oil and gas industry continues to struggle to reach parity with the good times of 2007 or 2008. Click here to read about it.

    A New Method for Amending Existing Electronic Drilling Permits is Now Available (5/25/2011)
    It is no longer necessary for operators to call division employees to "unlock" their permit for editing. They can now open the desired permit, quickly make the changes on a single form, and submit them. Click here to go to ePermit.

    Applications for Workover Tax Credits (Form 15) Can Now be Submitted Electronically (3/24/2011)
    An option to electronically submit Form 15, Designation of Workover or Recompletion, has been added to our ePermit program. Click here to give it a try.

    An Improved Interactive Oil and Gas Map Is Now Available (3/3/2011)
    The Division of Oil, Gas and Mining has teamed up with AGRC, Utah's mapping agency, to develop an improved map for finding oil and gas wells. Give it a try! Click on the "Map Resources" bar to the left or Click here.

    Office Hours (9/6/2011)
    The Utah legislature has directed that state offices return to a five-day work week. Effective September 6, 2011, our office hours changed to Monday thru Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Click here to learn more about this change or Contact us if you have questions.