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Energy Resources Program

From transportation to electricity, energy resources are critical to keep the Nation running. We provide actionable science and tools to support decision-making related to all aspects of the energy resource lifecycle

Our work includes assessing domestic and international oil, gas, geothermal and other geologic energy resources. 

News

USGS releases assessment of undiscovered gas resources in SW Wyoming’s Mesaverde Group and Lance Formation

USGS releases assessment of undiscovered gas resources in SW Wyoming’s Mesaverde Group and Lance Formation

USGS releases assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources under Santa Barbara County, California

USGS releases assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources under Santa Barbara County, California

USGS releases assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Phosphoria Total Petroleum System of SW Wyoming and NW Colorado

USGS releases assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Phosphoria Total Petroleum System of SW Wyoming and NW Colorado

Publications

Assessment of undiscovered conventional and continuous gas resources in the Mesaverde Group and Lance Formation in the Southwestern Wyoming Province, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado, 2025 Assessment of undiscovered conventional and continuous gas resources in the Mesaverde Group and Lance Formation in the Southwestern Wyoming Province, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado, 2025

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean conventional and continuous resources of 4.7 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Mesaverde Group and Lance Formation in the Southwestern Wyoming Province, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado.
Authors
Jenny Lagesse, Christopher Schenk, Jane Hearon, Sarah Gelman, Thomas Finn, Benjamin Johnson, Tracey J. Mercier, Phuong A. Le, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Andrea Cicero, Ronald Drake II

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Santa Maria Basin Province, California, 2024 Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Santa Maria Basin Province, California, 2024

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean conventional resources of 67 million barrels of oil and 56 billion cubic feet of gas in the Santa Maria Basin Province of California.
Authors
Christopher Schenk, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Tracey J. Mercier, Phuong A. Le, Andrea Cicero, Ronald Drake II, Sarah Gelman, Jane Hearon, Benjamin Johnson, Jenny Lagesse, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller

Performance analysis of oil recovery and CO2 retention in a greenfield residual oil zone: CO2-EOR in Tall Cotton Field (Permian Basin, West Texas, USA) Performance analysis of oil recovery and CO2 retention in a greenfield residual oil zone: CO2-EOR in Tall Cotton Field (Permian Basin, West Texas, USA)

Residual oil zones (ROZs) can offer significant oil resources via enhanced oil recovery (EOR) as well as subsurface carbon dioxide (CO2) retention during injection. If injected CO2 is anthropogenic, the ROZs can offer a substantial geologic storage potential. The ROZs below the oil/water contact (OWC) of main pay zones (MPZ) in conventional reservoirs or brownfields, are more commonly...
Authors
C. Karacan

Science

SBSC: Providing Unbiased Actionable Science & Information to Support Natural Resource Management Needs of the U.S. & Department of the Interior Priorities

The U.S. Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC) is uniquely positioned in the Colorado River Basin to provide sound information, specialized expertise, and innovative tools to support the management and sustained use of natural resources on public and Tribal lands in the Southwest U.S.
SBSC: Providing Unbiased Actionable Science & Information to Support Natural Resource Management Needs of the U.S. & Department of the Interior Priorities

SBSC: Providing Unbiased Actionable Science & Information to Support Natural Resource Management Needs of the U.S. & Department of the Interior Priorities

The U.S. Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC) is uniquely positioned in the Colorado River Basin to provide sound information, specialized expertise, and innovative tools to support the management and sustained use of natural resources on public and Tribal lands in the Southwest U.S.
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WebDART: A Cutting-edge Web Tool that Evaluates Land Condition

WebDART is an online ecological assessment tool available to a wide audience that incorporates Landsat satellite remote sensing imagery, topography, geology, soil conditions, and rangeland geospatial and vegetation mapping to compare altered terrain with an unspoiled area that has similar characteristics in the same region. The tool gives resource managers, landowners, companies, and other...
WebDART: A Cutting-edge Web Tool that Evaluates Land Condition

WebDART: A Cutting-edge Web Tool that Evaluates Land Condition

WebDART is an online ecological assessment tool available to a wide audience that incorporates Landsat satellite remote sensing imagery, topography, geology, soil conditions, and rangeland geospatial and vegetation mapping to compare altered terrain with an unspoiled area that has similar characteristics in the same region. The tool gives resource managers, landowners, companies, and other...
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Increasing Efficiency During the Life Cycle of Energy Development: Key Strategies for Improving the Utilization of Our Nation's Energy Resources

Energy development is critical to American energy independence and provides economic benefits to local communities. Scientific information is needed to aid in the sustainable development of energy resources. Sustainable energy development can include strategies for protecting environmental health and ecological services that benefit local communities. The USGS Environmental Health Program, Energy...
Increasing Efficiency During the Life Cycle of Energy Development: Key Strategies for Improving the Utilization of Our Nation's Energy Resources

Increasing Efficiency During the Life Cycle of Energy Development: Key Strategies for Improving the Utilization of Our Nation's Energy Resources

Energy development is critical to American energy independence and provides economic benefits to local communities. Scientific information is needed to aid in the sustainable development of energy resources. Sustainable energy development can include strategies for protecting environmental health and ecological services that benefit local communities. The USGS Environmental Health Program, Energy...
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