Wyoming once again can lay claim to the title of largest natural gas producer in the Rocky Mountains after setting a new production record in 2003. The state’s gas output exceeded 1.85 Tcf last year, up 4.3% over the 1.76 Tcf set a year earlier, propelled by the growing number of coalbed methane (CBM) wells.

More than half of the total reported gas production was on federal lands, and CBM production captured 19% of Wyoming’s total gas output in 2003. Most of the CBM came from the Powder River Basin, with Williams Production far and away the leader, scoring 97.7 Bcf from CBM wells alone. Penneco Energy was in second place for CBM production, with 3.79 Bcf, while Devon Energy reported 3.53 Bcf, J.M. Huber Corp. 3.51 Bcf, and Yates Petroleum 1.77 Bcf.

Of the 301 operators reporting gas production in 2003, ExxonMobil Corp. maintained its No. 1 record with 228 Bcf of gas, up from 218 Bcf in 2002. Most of ExxonMobil’s output came from the Schute Creek gas plant in Lincoln County. The plant is located on the Greater LaBarge platform in southwestern Wyoming, and the bulk of the gas is CO2.

The No. 2 producer was independent McMurry Oil, based in Casper, WY, with 198 Bcf, up from its reported 168 Bcf in 2002. Nearly all of McMurry’s output was from the Pinedale Anticline in Sublette County. BP America Production Co. slid to third place production-wise last year with 171 Bcf, down from its reported 175 Bcf in 2002. Most of BP’s output is in the Overthrust Belt and the Greater Green River Basin in southwest Wyoming.

In fourth place was Chevron USA, with 160 Bcf, up from 152 Bcf in 2002. Most of Chevron’s gas output was from the Overthrust Belt and the Wind River Basin. Rounding out the top five was Burlington Resources, which produced 114 Bcf, up from 102 Bcf a year earlier. Burlington’s production is centered in the Greater Green River and Wind River basins.

On Wyoming’s federal lands, producers reported 33.3 million barrels of oil and 911 Bcf of gas, which generated $442 million in oil and gas royalties. Half of that amount went to the state for fiscal 2003. There were 615 parcels offered on federal land, and 474 parcels on 379,002 acres leased in bi-monthly competitive oral bid lease sales. Half of the bids went to the state’s coffers, and the highest bid per acre for a single parcel was $1,100.

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