U.S. oil and gas permitting on federal lands jumped 8% in September from August, with Texas operators posting the largest increase since March, according to a monthly tally by Evercore ISI.

Evercore YTD permits

The firm every month compiles permit data from federal and state sources, which provides a bird’s eye view of where drilling by exploration and production (E&P) companies may be headed in the months ahead. 

U.S. land drilling applications last month climbed to 1,213, “primarily as a result of stronger permitting by large-cap E&Ps in Texas,” said the Evercore team led by analyst James West. 

The state added 67 permits month/month (m/m), mostly in the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) District 8 office in Midland, in the heart of the Permian Basin, and in District 2 in San Antonio...