OGL Rank™ ranks and segments U.S. oil & gas operators by drilling activity and development momentum, classifying companies into Steady State, Next Tier, and Opportunistic operators so sales and marketing teams can build data-driven targeting strategies.
NorthStar Resources, LLC is a privately held oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) company focused on developing assets in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico. The operator runs one rig and has recently increased activity with two wells drilled in 2026 and several new permits issued, indicating a small but active drilling program.
FE Permian Operating I, L.L.C. ranks #52 among Permian Basin operators with one active rig and three wells drilled in 2026, following one well drilled in 2025. The company has secured nine drilling permits over the past three years, including five in the last 12 months, supporting a small but steady drilling program.
Drilling activity in Oklahoma during early 2026 is being driven by a small group of operators running steady multi-rig development programs, accounting for the majority of wells drilled so far this year. At the same time, a second tier of emerging operators running smaller drilling programs could represent the next wave of growth as commodity prices and development strategies evolve.
Louisiana drilling activity in early 2026 remains concentrated among a small group of steady-state operators running most of the basin’s 25 active rigs and drilling the majority of the 82 wells completed year-to-date. While large developers like Apex Natural Gas, Expand Energy, and Aethon Energy continue to dominate activity, a smaller group of emerging operators such as Cantium, PIE LA Operating, and XTO Energy represent the next tier of companies to watch for potential drilling growth.
Roughly 20 LNG carriers—about half of the ships currently available for charter—are trapped in the Persian Gulf amid regional conflict, sending shipping rates above $200,000 per day and contributing to a sharp rise in global LNG prices.
Tamarack Valley Energy has positioned the Clearwater formation as its core growth asset, driving production with large multi-well pad drilling programs and expanding waterflood infrastructure to improve recovery. Pad analysis of recent drilling activity shows 140 wells developed across 29 pads—primarily in Marten Hills—demonstrating the scale and efficiency of Tamarack’s pad-based development strategy.
Peyto Exploration & Development is expanding compression capacity at its Nosehill Gas Plant near Drayton Valley through a facility licence amendment, allowing the company to increase throughput and optimize its existing processing infrastructure rather than build new plants
Oil prices could surge dramatically if a major supply disruption—such as a blockage of the Strait of Hormuz—removes millions of barrels per day from global markets. With limited ability to quickly increase production, analysts say prices may need to rise toward $150–$200 per barrel to force “demand destruction” and rebalance supply and consumption.
President Donald Trump announced plans for the first new oil refinery built in the United States in nearly 50 years, a proposed 168,000-barrel-per-day facility in Brownsville, Texas backed by investment from India’s Reliance Industries. The project, led by America First Refining and targeting construction as early as Q2 2026, is designed to process U.S. shale oil and could generate up to $300 billion in long-term economic value through crude processing and refined product output.
