USGS Assessment Lists 12 Million Barrels of Oil and 184 Billion Cubic Feet of Gas Still Technically Recoverable from Buda Limestone

The U.S. Geological Survey this week assessed that the Buda Limestone formation holds 12 million barrels of technically recoverable oil and 184 billion cubic feet of technically recoverable gas. The formation sits directly beneath the Eagle Ford Group in Texas and has produced oil and gas since around 1930.

Cumulative output from the Buda Limestone totals 204 million barrels of oil and 287 billion cubic feet of gas. Those volumes represent roughly ten days of current U.S. oil consumption and three days of current U.S.

Gas consumption, respectively. The remaining technically recoverable resources amount to a small fraction of historical totals. USGS Director Ned Mamula stated that the Buda Limestone has little remaining undiscovered oil or gas.

He noted that the assessment points to a need for new resources elsewhere. The Eagle Ford Group above the Buda is identified as the primary source for any undiscovered volumes at the formation. Oil and gas output from the overlying Eagle Ford shale play rose 2.2 percent on a barrels-of-oil-equivalent basis in the twelve months ending March 2026 compared with the prior year.

Production ranged between 2.36 million and 2.46 million barrels of oil equivalent per day during that period. Crude oil output held steady near 1.1 million barrels per day while natural gas volumes increased. EOG Resources’ Dorado gas play within the Eagle Ford is projected to reach 1 billion cubic feet per day of output in 2026, a 33 percent increase from the prior year.

Stone Ridge acquired Baytex’s Eagle Ford assets for $2.3 billion. Proximity to the Gulf Coast continues to support favorable wellhead pricing for the basin’s natural gas.