U.S. Oil Export Tracker by Iron Ridge Advisors
Export Tracker
And why it's important for fractional mineral owners.
U.S. crude oil exports have climbed sharply since 2017, as more of the country's energy moves to the rest of the world.
As American energy increasingly moves to the rest of the world, landowners who own oil and gas minerals naturally ask what it means for them. The honest answer has three parts.
Sustained export demand is one sign of a healthy, working oil and gas industry: wells being drilled, infrastructure being built, operators with reason to keep producing. For a mineral owner, that broad activity is the environment your interest lives in. A rising tide does not lift every boat the same, but it beats a falling one.
A national export number does not tell you what your royalty check will be. Income from a mineral or royalty interest depends on the specific wells on the specific acreage tied to it: which basin, which operator, how new the wells are, and how fast they decline. Two owners can hold interests in the same month and watch their income move in opposite directions. The macro picture is context, not a forecast of your statement.
A royalty check is roughly production multiplied by price. Exports speak to the production and demand side. Price is set by a global market that already reflects every trend, including export flows, in real time. Watching exports gives you a way to understand the forces at work, not a way to predict or time them.
A rising tide helps, but only if your minerals sit in the right ground. The basins with the most future drilling are the ones where a royalty keeps growing and stays sellable. Where your interest lives, how it is taxed, and how you eventually get out are the real questions, and they are the ones we walk through with you.
Use the tracker for what it is good for. It helps you read the industry your minerals sit inside, ask sharper questions, and have a better informed conversation about whether a 1031 exchange into fractional mineral royalties belongs in your plan. It is a map of the weather, not a guarantee of the harvest.
Understand fractional mineral royalties →This page and the U.S. Oil Export Tracker are provided by Iron Ridge Advisors for general educational and informational purposes only. Nothing here is, or should be relied upon as, investment, tax, accounting, or legal advice, a recommendation, or an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security or interest. Oil and gas mineral and royalty interests involve significant risk, including possible loss of the entire amount invested. Income is not guaranteed and varies with commodity prices, well production, and natural well decline. These interests are illiquid and may be difficult or impossible to sell. Past performance and historical trends do not predict future results. Whether any interest qualifies for tax deferred 1031 exchange treatment depends on its specific structure and on your individual circumstances. Consult your own tax advisor, attorney, and a qualified intermediary before taking any action. Export figures shown are published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, series PET.MCREXUS2.M, and refresh as the EIA releases new data. The "This Month So Far" tanker count is built from a live AIS feed (AISStream.io) collected locally on Iron Ridge's hardware and grows day by day. Securities offered through Arkadios Capital, member FINRA and SIPC.