The US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will offer oil and gas leases on 400,000 acres under the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)’s coastal plain on June 5, the first in a series of at least four sales required under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which the Trump administration now calls the Working Families Tax Cut act. Recent attempts to lease land for oil and gas development in the 1.5-million-acre coastal plain (the “1002 Area”) of ANWR have generated little interest, with the most recent federal lease sale in January 2025 yielding zero bids and no revenue for federal or state taxpayers. This sale was the second auction mandated by another bill, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The first sale under that law, held in January 2021, offered 1.1 million acres but yielded only $14.4 million in high bids, less than 1% of the roughly $1 billion originally estimated. BLM noted, however, that a recent federal lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska generated strong participation, which could portend a stronger showing for the upcoming ANWR sale. “The record-breaking success of last month’s lease sale in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve sent a clear signal: There is robust and continuing demand for Alaskan energy, underscoring the need for more opportunities like the Coastal Plain sale,” Acting BLM Director Bill Groffy said in a statement. “By expanding these opportunities, we strengthen our national energy security, support high-paying jobs for Alaskans, and help ensure Americans have access to affordable energy.” The Mar. 18 NPR-A sale resulted in 187 leases and $163.7 million in total receipts. Oil and gas development in ANWR remains contentious because of its ecologically sensitive environment and ongoing lawsuits from indigenous groups and environmental organizations. Majors, including ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, and bp have left the area

Friday’s move has the May 2026 WTI NYMEX futures are trading below the 8-, 13-, and 21-day Moving Averages with a Low that breached the Lower-Bollinger Band limit. Volume is down to 80,000 as May expires next week and traders turn their attention to June. The Relative Strength Indicator (RSI), a momentum indicator, has fallen back into neutral territory at 42. Resistance is now pegged at $93.70 (8-day MA) while near-term Support is $82.45 (Bollinger Band). As has been the pattern for several weeks now, traders have to be cautious with their Friday positions as the market is closed until Sunday evening and the US/Iran talks continue on Saturday.   Looking ahead Questions now remain in terms of the duration of the Israeli ceasefire with Lebanon which Iran has tied to the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. Should Israel violate the ceasefire, it would put Iran’s IRGC back in direct conflict with US naval forces in the area should the former attempt to close the Strait again. US/Iran negotiations are scheduled to continue this weekend in Islamabad. Once again, markets will be closed until Sunday evening so the outcome of those talks will be key to market direction on the Open. Should peace hold, there will need to be a very detailed assessment of the long-term damage to all oil and gas infrastructure in the region. The tanker tracking map below indicates loaded oil vessels are exiting the Strait of Hormuz. Natural gas, fundamental analysis May NYMEX natural gas futures have now been on a 5-week downtrend on mild weather and a larger-than-expected storage injections despite healthy LNG export volumes. The week’s High was Monday’s $2.72/MMbtu while the Low was Tuesday’s $2.56, a tight range which indicates market direction uncertainty.   Natural gas demand this week has been estimated at about

Phillips 66 Co. and Kinder Morgan Inc. have secured sufficient shipper interest to advance the proposed Western Gateway refined products pipeline project to supply fuel to ‌Arizona and California, the companies said in a joint release Apr. 20. Following a second open season to secure long-term shipper commitments, the companies will “move the project forward, subject to the execution of definitive transportation service agreements, joint venture agreements, and respective board approvals,” the companies said. “Customer response during the open season underscores the importance of Western Gateway in addressing long term refined products logistics needs in the region,” said Phillips 66 chairman and chief executive officer Mark Lashier. “By utilizing existing pipeline assets across multiple states along the route, we’re uniquely well-positioned to support a refined products transportation solution,” said Kim Dang, Kinder Morgan chief executive officer. Western Gateway pipeline specs The planned 200,000-b/d Western Gateway project is designed as a 1,300-mile refined products system with a new-build pipeline from Borger, Tex. to Phoenix, Ariz., combined with Kinder Morgan’s existing SFPP LP pipeline from Colton, Calif. to Phoenix, Ariz., which will be reversed to enable east-to-west product flows into California. It will be fed from supplies connected to Borger as well as supplies already connected to SFPP’s system in El Paso, Tex. The Gold Pipeline, operated by Phillips 66, which currently flows from Borger to St. Louis, will be reversed to enable refined products from midcontinent refineries to flow toward Borger and supply the Western Gateway pipeline. Western Gateway will also have connectivity to Las Vegas, Nev. via Kinder Morgan’s 566-mile CALNEV Pipeline. The Western Gateway Pipeline is targeting completion by 2029.  Phillips 66 will build the entirety of the new pipeline and will operate the line from Borger, Tex., to El Paso, Tex. Kinder Morgan will operate the line from El

Viva Energy Group Ltd. has stabilized operations at its 120,000-b/d Geelong refinery in Victoria, Australia, which continues operating at reduced rates following a mid-April fire in the site’s gasoline complex. In an Apr. 20 update to the market, Viva Energy confirmed the Apr. 15 fire specifically occurred in the complex’s alkylation unit and was not fully extinguished until the morning of Apr. 16. While the refinery’s crude distillation units and reformer continue operating, the site’s residue catalytic cracking unit (RCCU) remains temporarily offline as part of ongoing stabilization efforts, according to the company. In the near term, Viva Energy said it expects the refinery’s diesel and jet fuel production to average about 80% normal capacity, with gasoline output reduced to about 60% capacity. The company anticipates production constraints to ease in the coming weeks, subject to inspection and restart of the RCCU, which would allow the refinery’s combined output diesel, jet fuel, and gasoline to exceed 90% of nameplate capacity until all necessary repairs are completed. With sufficient fuel inventories already on hand, Viva Energy said it remains well-positioned to maintain normal fuel supplies to customers during the production shortfalls. “The whole Viva Energy team understands how important our refinery is to the energy security of the country, especially at the current time. We will progressively restore production once we are confident that it is safe to do so, and do not expect any disruptions to fuel availability or price increases for Viva Energy’s customers as a result of this incident,” Scott Wyatt, Viva Energy’s chief executive officer, said in a separate statement. While the company confirmed an assessment of damage to the alkylation unit and associated systems is under way, estimated timelines for full repairs and financial impacts resulting from the fire have yet to be determined. Alongside prioritizing

Oil prices plunged on Apr. 17, as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East showed signs of easing, following the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels. Global crude markets reacted sharply after Iran confirmed that the Strait of Hormuz is now “completely open” to commercial shipping during an ongoing ceasefire tied to regional conflict negotiations. The announcement marked a major turning point after weeks of disruption that had severely constrained global oil flows. Stay updated on oil price volatility, shipping disruptions, LNG market analysis, and production output at OGJ’s Iran war content hub. Brent crude fell by more than 10%, dropping to around $88–89/bbl, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) declined to the low $80s—both benchmarks hitting their lowest levels in over a month. The sell-off reflects a rapid unwinding of the geopolitical risk premium that had built up during the conflict. The reopening follows a fragile, 10-day ceasefire involving Israel and Lebanon, alongside tentative progress in US–Iran negotiations. While the waterway is now open, the US has maintained a naval blockade on Iranian ports, signaling that broader geopolitical risks have not fully dissipated. The return of tanker traffic through the Gulf could gradually restore millions of barrels per day to global markets, easing the tight conditions that had driven recent price volatility. However, some uncertainty remains over how quickly shipping activity will normalize and whether the ceasefire will hold. Despite the sharp price decline, the oil market remains structurally fragile. Weeks of disruption have depleted inventories and altered trade flows, and it may take time for supply chains to fully recover. Additionally, any breakdown in ceasefire talks could quickly reverse the current trend. Beyond energy markets, the development rippled across global financial systems. Equity markets surged, with major US indices posting strong gains as lower oil

US crude oil inventories for the week ended Apr. 17, excluding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, increased by 1.9 million bbl from the previous week, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). At 465.7 million bbl, US crude oil inventories are about 3% above the 5-year average for this time of year, the EIA report indicated. EIA said total motor gasoline inventories decreased by 4.6 million bbl from last week and are about 0.5% below the 5-year average for this time of year. Finished gasoline inventories increased while blending components inventories decreased last week. Distillate fuel inventories decreased by 3.4 million bbl last week and are about 8% below the 5-year average for this time of year. Propane-propylene inventories increased by 2.1 million bbl from last week and are 69% above the 5-year average for this time of year, EIA said. US crude oil refinery inputs averaged 16.0 million b/d for the week, which was 55,000 b/d less than the previous week’s average. Refineries operated at 89.1% of capacity. Gasoline production increased, averaging 10.1 million b/d. Distillate fuel production increased, averaging 5.0 million b/d. US crude oil imports averaged 6.1 million b/d, up 787,000 b/d from the previous week. Over the last 4 weeks, crude oil imports averaged about 6.0 million b/d, 0.4% less than the same 4-week period last year. Total motor gasoline imports averaged 587,000 b/d. Distillate fuel imports averaged 190,000 b/d.