Privately held · Denver, Colorado · Private Powder River operator

Anschutz
Exploration

A privately held independent oil and gas operator and the largest oil producer in the state of Wyoming. Anschutz is the dominant operator of the modern Powder River Basin oil play.

Private
Status
Anschutz family
Powder River
Active Basin
Niobrara horizontal
1
States
Wyoming
1
Predecessors
Anadarko via Occidental
2021
Acreage Acquired
From Occidental
01 The Company

Who Anschutz is, and what they hold.

A privately held single-basin operator and the dominant developer of the modern Powder River Basin oil play.

Anschutz Exploration is the privately held oil and gas exploration and production arm of The Anschutz Corporation, controlled by Phil Anschutz. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Anschutz Exploration is among the largest privately held oil producers in the United States, with the bulk of its activity concentrated in a single basin: the Powder River Basin of Wyoming. By production volume, Anschutz is among the largest oil producers in the state.

Anschutz acquired a substantial Powder River Basin position from Occidental Petroleum in 2021, an acreage package that traced back to Anadarko Petroleum’s pre-2019 development of the basin. Since the acquisition, Anschutz has been an active developer of the position with consistent rig activity in Converse and Campbell counties, with additional acreage extending into Johnson County. Drilling primarily targets the Niobrara, Turner, Parkman, and Mowry formations through horizontal development.

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03Corporate History

Recent activity, andwhat is behind it.

Material event affecting Anschutz's footprint: the 2021 PRB acreage acquisition from Occidental that traces back to Anadarko.

  1. 2021
    Anschutz purchased a substantial Powder River Basin acreage position from Occidental Petroleum, including legacy Anadarko Petroleum acreage. Source: industry reporting, July 2021.
05 What This Means for Mineral Owners

If you receive royalty checks from Anschutz.

Anschutz's PRB position carries a chain of title that runs through Occidental and Anadarko. Many royalty owners have seen three operator names on the same wells over five years.

Anschutz Exploration is the privately held oil and gas exploration and production arm of The Anschutz Corporation, controlled by Phil Anschutz. The company is among the largest privately held oil producers in the United States, with the bulk of its activity concentrated in a single basin: the Powder River Basin of Wyoming.

Anschutz acquired a substantial Powder River Basin position from Occidental Petroleum in 2021, an acreage package that traced back to Anadarko Petroleum’s pre-2019 development of the basin. Since the acquisition, Anschutz has been an active developer of the position with consistent rig activity in Converse and Campbell counties, with additional acreage extending into Johnson County. Drilling primarily targets the Niobrara, Turner, Parkman, and Mowry formations through horizontal development.

If you have a question about a specific Anschutz-paid interest, the operator’s owner relations channel handles account-level questions. As a private company, Anschutz does not publish detailed financial or production information of the type filed by public companies. Public-record verification of operator status, well status, and production volumes runs through the Wyoming WOGCC.

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06Questions Mineral Owners Ask

What peopleactually ask about Anschutz.

Honest answers to the things people most often want to know about Anschutz-paid interests.

01
My PRB royalty checks used to come from Anadarko, then Occidental, now Anschutz. Why all the changes?
The Powder River Basin position in question traces back to Anadarko Petroleum's pre-2019 development of the basin. Occidental acquired Anadarko in August 2019 and inherited the position. Occidental then sold the PRB acreage to Anschutz Exploration in 2021. Each transaction transferred operator of record on the affected wells. The underlying mineral interest carried over unchanged through both.
02
Anschutz is private. How do I find information about their operations?
As a privately held company, Anschutz does not publish the detailed financial or production information that public companies file. The Wyoming WOGCC well search by API number, or by section, township, and range, is the authoritative source for operator status, well status, permit history, and production volumes on Anschutz-operated wells.
03
I have a spacing unit with multiple Anschutz wells. Why are the decimal interests different on different checks?
This is normal in the Powder River Basin's stacked-pay development pattern. A single 1,280-acre spacing unit can include four to six horizontal wells targeting different formations (Niobrara, Turner, Parkman, Mowry) at different depths. Each well has its own spacing unit configuration, and your decimal interest is calculated separately for each. Different decimals for different wells in the same area are expected.
04
Can I sell mineral rights that pay royalties through Anschutz?
Yes. Mineral rights paid through Anschutz are bought and sold the same way as any other producing interest. The sale does not require Anschutz's involvement; it is a transaction between you and the buyer. We are happy to look at what you have and walk through what it might be worth, whether your current statements show Anschutz, Occidental, or still Anadarko.
05
I inherited mineral rights and the prior owner's name is on Anschutz's paperwork. How do I get the account changed?
This requires probate documentation. Once the estate has been probated and you have Letters Testamentary or equivalent court paperwork showing you are the rightful heir, submit copies with a recorded conveyance (mineral deed of distribution, probate decree, or similar) to Anschutz's owner relations team, plus a new W-9 in your name. They will re-issue the division order with you as the recipient.

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Anschutz Exploration
minerals?

Send us what you have, or what you think you have. If your statements are from Anschutz Exploration, or from a name they acquired, we can pull operator data, check decimal interest math, and put together a plain-English summary with our reasoning. If it makes sense to go further, we move on your timeline. If not, you have a free breakdown you can take anywhere.

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Information about Anschutz Exploration on this page is drawn from publicly available sources, including company press releases, SEC filings where applicable, state regulator data, and mainstream news reporting. It is current as of May 2026. Operator ownership, corporate structure, and active basins can change. Verify current status with the operator directly before making any decisions about a lease, division order, or sale.