For oil and gas producers in the DJ Basin, Colo’s regulatory framework is a drilling hurdle perhaps second only to Calif. Just ask top operators like OXY, Chevron, Civitas, and Bayswater Exploration and Production. Navigating the complexities, delays, and compliances in the Mile High State continues to grow more complicated, leading many producers to question the bottom-line economics moving forward, others reaping handsome rewards, and still others staking more claims.

Reese Energy Consulting today is following the latest news from the DJ Basin, where For Sale signs and new buyers are out to reshuffle the producer deck. At last week’s NAPE, an OXY panelist confirmed the company was selling its “vast minerals position” in the DJ for $900 million to $1 billion. Denver-based Civitas announced last month it was eyeing an exit sign for part or all of its DJ assets valued at $4+ billion. Bayswater, which has operated in the DJ since 2009, has now sold part of its Weld County assets to Houston-based Prairie Operating Company. The $603 million cash-and-stock deal includes 24,000 acres, 300 producing horizontal wells, and 25 MBOED. It’s important to note that OXY, Chevron, Civitas, and Bayswater also hold sizeable Permian positions.

And just by chance, Fort Worth-based Double Eagle Energy has reminded us it’s in search of a buyer amid the amped up production of its Permian Midland assets for $6.5 billion.