Directory of active Illinois Basin oil and gas operators across Illinois, Indiana, and Western Kentucky in 2026.
Quick answer
The Illinois Basin operator base is dominated by long-tenured small private and family-owned independents rather than public mid-cap producers. Public Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Indiana Division of Oil & Gas, and Kentucky Department of Oil & Gas Conservation filings show ongoing 2026 activity from the following operators among others:
Brothers Oil & Iron (BOI) — Evansville, IN; Rice family-backed buyer of legacy producing wells across the basin
Continental Resources of Illinois — Illinois-focused independent (distinct from Continental Resources Inc.)
Triple-S Petroleum — Western Kentucky and Southern Indiana operator
Hardesty Oil & Gas — Multi-state Illinois Basin operator
Cypress Creek Resources — Illinois Basin independent
Magnum Hunter Resources — selective Illinois Basin positions
Citation Oil & Gas — Illinois Basin and broader Mid-Continent independent
Smith Trust Properties — Family-trust-owned Illinois Basin operator
Energy Industries Inc. — Illinois-based small-operator
Wabash Valley Resources — Carbon capture and sequestration operator (CCS, not conventional E&P)
Additional small-operator activity from privately-held Illinois Basin independents that file individually with state regulators.
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