How much of the U.S. natural gas supply currently comes from federal lands?
Approximately one-third of current natural gas production comes from areas under federal government jurisdiction (10 percent from onshore federal land, and an additional 26 percent from offshore areas under federal control, in the Gulf of Mexico. More than two-thirds of the technically recoverable natural gas resources in the Rocky Mountains – as much as 79 trillion cubic feet of natural gas – is either closed to development or under significant access restrictions, according to a DOE report issued June 6, 2001. The report, which studied the Greater Green River Basin of Wyoming and Colorado, found that: • 30 percent of the natural gas resources are completely off-limits, due to federal rules. • 38 percent is available for access only sporadically, e.g., not during months when certain birds and animals are migrating or nesting. • 32 percent is subject to standard lease terms, e.g. environmental requirements. Another 76 trillion cubic feet of natural gas resources are estimated to lie in
