A DOE is Born, Oklahoma’s First Gusher and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953
Today in Energy History for Monday June 23, 2025
Happy Monday, market movers and mineral rights readers — here’s your Petro Playback, covering June 21st through June 23rd. From offshore breakthroughs to federal shakeups, these three days in energy history reveal the undercurrents shaping today’s headlines.
Let’s hit the rig.
June 21, 1893 — Oklahoma’s First Gusher
It was on June 21st, 1893, near Bartlesville in Indian Territory, that the first commercial oil well in what would become Oklahoma began to take shape — part of the broader Mid-Continent Oil Boom that would fuel the 20th-century industrial expansion.
Drilled by the Cudahy Oil Company, the well hit pay dirt and signaled that Oklahoma wasn’t just cattle and corn — it was crude, and lots of it. Within two decades, the state would be producing over 20% of the nation’s oil, sending men west, cities skyward, and royalties soaring.
This moment set the tone for land leasing battles, wildcatters-turned-tycoons, and the enduring influence of the American landman.
June 22, 1977 — The U.S. Department of Energy Is Born
Few events have had a longer regulatory shadow over oil and gas than President Jimmy Carter’s announcement on June 22, 1977, to consolidate America’s fractured energy agencies into the Department of Energy. It was, after all, the tail end of the Arab oil embargo and the beginning of America’s effort to reduce its “oil addiction.”
Though originally conceived to manage nuclear materials and fossil fuel rationing, the DOE quickly grew into a major player in pipeline policy, drilling research, Strategic Petroleum Reserve oversight, and more recently, its dual role of policing emissions while subsidizing “bridge fuels.”
It’s worth noting: This was also the era when windfall profit taxes and price controls left scars that independent producers haven’t forgotten. And it ushered in an era of government-industry entanglement that continues to complicate domestic energy policy today.
June 23, 1947 — Offshore Drilling’s Defining Legal Battle
June 23rd, 1947 saw the U.S. Supreme Court uphold the federal government's control of offshore mineral rights in the case of United States v. California. It was a turning point for offshore oil and gas development — and for the battle over who owns the seabed.
Prior to this decision, states like California claimed ownership over offshore tracts and leased them independently. But with billions of barrels potentially hidden beneath coastal waters, the federal government took charge.
This ruling laid the groundwork for the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953 and, eventually, the Gulf of Mexico lease sales that today form the foundation of U.S. offshore production.
Fast forward to today, and offshore drilling is still a legal lightning rod — wrapped in layers of environmental regulation, royalty debates, and now, offshore wind competition for seafloor real estate.
Bonus Petro Playback: June Gasoline Price Cycles
Though not tied to a single date, late June traditionally marks the start of peak summer gasoline demand across the U.S., driving refinery crack spreads, retail price spikes, and political handwringing.
Historically, from the 1950s onward, June 21–23 often corresponds with refinery turnaround completions, pipeline bottlenecks, and hurricane preparedness in the Gulf of Mexico — a reminder of how logistics and weather shape fuel economics just as much as geology.
And if you think the politics of pump prices are new — think again. June of 2008 saw oil hit $135 a barrel, sparking congressional hearings and public outcry over speculation, all while shale drillers were just beginning to rewrite America’s production story.
From Oklahoma’s first strike to courtroom battles over offshore royalties, and the formation of an energy bureaucracy that still shapes the shale revolution — June 21 through 23 has played host to tectonic shifts in oil and gas history.
These moments remind us: Oil isn’t just pulled from the ground — it’s extracted through legal strategy, economic pressure, and political will.
That’s your Petro Playback — where the past still fuels the present.
Until next time, keep your tank full and your hedges tight.
Petro Playback prepared and written by Jason Spiess. Spiess is an multi-award-winning journalist, entrepreneur, producer and content consultant. Spiess, who began working in the media at age 10, has over 35 years of media experience in broadcasting, journalism, reporting and principal ownership in media companies. Spiess is currently the host of several newsmagazine programs that air across a 22 radio stations and podcasts worldwide through podcast platforms, as well as a social media audience of over 400K followers.
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