USGS releases assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in Bossier Formation of Gulf Coast

USGS releases assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in Bossier Formation of Gulf Coast

343.5 trillion cubic feet of gas estimated in Bossier, including high-pressure “Western Haynesville”

RESTON, Va. — The U.S. Geological Survey released its assessment of undiscovered gas and oil in the Bossier Formation along the Gulf Coast, assessing that there are technically recoverable resources of 343.5 trillion cubic feet of gas – enough to supply the United States for more than 10 years at the current rate of consumption -- as well as 3 million barrels of oil.

Since the last USGS assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Bossier Formation, exploration drilling by industry has revealed deep, highly overpressured shale formations, warranting a new assessment. Since production began, the Bossier Formation has produced 3.8 trillion cubic feet of gas, equal to nearly six weeks of U.S. consumption at the record-high 2025 level. The Gulf Coast has long been one of the most abundant sources of U.S. energy. The organic-rich shales of the Bossier Formation are produced from up to 18,000 feet below the surface, at greater depths than other resources in the Gulf Coast. New plays, such as the Bossier Western Shale Gas Assessment Unit, sometimes referred to by industry as “Western Haynesville”, or “Waynesville”, show that drilling into deeper, higher-pressured reservoirs can result in more resources than previously thought. 

“The U.S. economy and our way of life depend on energy, and USGS oil and gas assessments point to resources that industry hasn’t discovered yet. In this case, we have assessed there are significant undiscovered resources in the Bossier Formation,” said USGS Director Ned Mamula.

-- photo of a Bossier Formation outcrop by Mario Martínez-Yáñez.