Do Kochs Hold Most Canadian Oil Sands Leases? It’s Complicated

"A March 20 Washington Post Web article and a March 21 print article stated that Koch Industries was the largest leaseholder in Canada’s oil sands. Further reporting has indicated that Koch Industries on a net acreage basis is the largest American and foreign holder of leases in Canada’s oil sands but it might narrowly trail two Canadian companies overall. ...

An oil industry official with direct knowledge of Koch’s lease holdings, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect his relationship with the firm, has said that Koch’s leases in the oil-sands region are “closer to 2 million.” This is possible because big companies frequently use brokers or private affiliates to quietly buy rights without triggering a scramble for nearby acreage. If that is the case, Koch Industries ranks as the largest leaseholder in Alberta.

Koch did not reply to questions about its acreage holdings."

Steven Mufson reports for the Washington Post April 7, 2014.