Official web site of IPAMS: Independent Association of Mountain States

July 8, 2010

jhaubert — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:05:33 +0000

IPAMS Meetings and Announcements

Introducing Western Energy Alliance

Eight months ago, IPAMS Executive Committee began to discuss the need to conduct a strategic communications assessment. At the 4th Quarter Board Meeting, the Board approved an Executive Committee recommendation to appoint a steering committee to determine whether our association’s name and branding were effectively conveying the proper message to the right audiences. While IPAMS has never been stronger and continues to expand its reputation as a credible voice for western energy, many of our members and staff felt that our name could be limiting our effectiveness.

Click here to read the summary behind IPAMS name and logo change.

Click here to read the News Release (scheduled for Monday, June 12, 2010)

The new website, www.westernenergyalliance.org will be live on Monday morning.

Action Alert: Tell Congress to Oppose Punitive Energy Legislation

When Congress returns from the Fourth of July recess next week, they will consider several onerous measures in response to the Gulf spill that will also affect onshore producers. The latest version of the CLEAR Act (Consolidated Land, Energy and Aquatic Resources), which would subject onshore development to the reorganized MMS bureaus, and change onshore leasing to a sealed-bid system, reduce lease sales, increase rents and bonuses, and require “diligent development” reporting, among other provisions, will be marked up by the House Natural Resources Committee. See IPAMS’ position paper on the new version of the bill.

Meanwhile over in the Energy & Commerce Committee, the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment will markup the Blowout Prevention Act, which in its current form would impose technical requirements that don’t make sense for onshore development from an engineering or safety standpoint. See IPAMS’ detailed notes on the impacts. And over on the Senate side, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee will continue to consider S. 3516, the Outer Continental Shelf Reform Act, into which onshore provisions keep appearing.

Please help IPAMS make Congress understand that these bills put at risk jobs and energy supply without providing sensible, effective measures to ensure another Deepwater Horizon accident does not happen again.

Please respond to our alert on these bills by clicking here, and forwarding this on to your co-workers and friends. It only takes a minute to respond.

EPA Public Meeting on Hydraulic Fracturing Study

July 13, 2010 in Denver

EPA is holding a public meeting on its hydraulic fracturing study on July 13^th from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. in Denver at the Marriot Tech Center’s Rocky Mountain Events Center, 4900 South Syracuse Street. IPAMS will attend and provide comments, and encourages members to do the same. It’s important to ensure that industry’s voice is heard at the meeting, as there will likely be many environmental groups participating that will try to further spread doubt and fear about this safe, effective technology. Participants who register at least 72 hours beforehand will be given a time slot to provide oral statements at the meeting, but please register right away to ensure a favorable, early time slot. The meeting will be limited to 100 speakers. Register by clicking here.

Those wishing to providing oral comments during the meeting will have two minutes in which to do so. If you would like help with preparing comments, please contact Kathleen Sgamma.

If you are unable to attend or do not wish to speak at the meeting, you may submit written comments at the meeting or send them by July 24^th to hydraulic.fracturing@epa.gov or Jill Dean, EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Mail code 4606M, Washington, DC 20460. To help with comments, see IPAMS fracking study scoping comments, fracking position paper, the Energy in Depth website, or EPA’s fracking page.

Breakfast Reception for Congressional Hopeful Cory Gardner

July 22nd at 7:30 a.m.

Cory Gardner is running in the 4th Congressional District against Rep. Betsey Markey. IPAMS PAC is co-hosting a fundraising breakfast for Cory at the Ritz Carlton in downtown Denver on July 22nd. The minimum contribution to host is $500 for individuals and $1,000 for PACs. Click here to view the invitation.

If you would like to co-host, please contact Jon Bargas at (303) 623-0987.

IPAMS Membership Update

IPAMS thanks our broad membership for supporting our organization through your 2010 dues. Your financial support ensures that we have the resources to continue to defend and promote your investment in the Intermountain West. For more information or to refer a company to IPAMS regarding membership please contact Susan Fakharzadeh.

Other Upcoming Meetings

Utah Basin Advisors Network (UBAN) Meeting – July 13th, 10:00 a.m.

Uinta Basin Air Quality Working Group – July 14th, 9:00 a.m.

Montana Basin Advisors Network (MBAN) Meeting - July 19th, 1:30 p.m.

Colorado Basin Advisors Network (CBAN) Meeting: Presentation on Colorado Non-Tributary Water Rulemaking – July 27th, 10:00 a.m. The CBAN Committee will host Kevin Rein, Assistant Colorado State Engineer, to provide an update on the State Engineers Office (SEO) non-tributary water rulemaking, including an overview of the Supreme Court decision, resulting legislation, and policy changes. IPAMS has been following the rulemaking in order to better understand the potential implications of the tributary vs. non-tributary determinations. Several of the basin-wide SEO determinations are now facing legal challenges from opposing water organizations. Please RSVP to Spencer Kimball.

Visit ipams.org for the latest news affecting the Intermountain West’s oil and natural gas industry. Headlines are updated daily from local, national and international news sources. You may also sign up for daily newsbrief emails under the Manage Account section of the “Members Only” page.

The West

Uinta and White River National Forest Environmental Impact Statements

The Forest Service is preparing environmental impact statements (EIS) for oil and gas leasing for the White River National Forest in Colorado and the Uinta National Forest in Utah. The comment deadlines for the White River NF and Uinta NF are July 30th and August 6th, respectively. IPAMS will prepare comments based on member interest and input. Please contact Spencer Kimball at 303-623-0987 to help us determine whether IPAMS will comment on these EISs.

Energy Group Launches Project to Promote Energy Jobs

published in: PR Newswire on: 07/06/2010 by: Staff

The American Energy Alliance (AEA) launches Save U.S. Energy Jobs, a project to promote jobs in the U.S. energy sector, to ensure that citizens are informed about the importance of energy jobs to the American economy and American consumers, and to educate citizens about how the U.S. energy industry addresses safety and health issues.

Western Election News

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper against rewrite of gas rules

published in: Durango Herald on: 07/08/2010 by: Joe Hanel

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper sought to ease the fears of environmentalists Wednesday, telling gas and oil executives that if he is elected governor, he would not roll back rules for their industry that Gov. Bill Ritter initiated.

Governor candidate facing fine

published in: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel on: 07/05/2010 by: Charles Ashby

Republican gubernatorial contender Dan Maes is expected to be ordered to pay what could be the largest campaign finance fine ever levied against a candidate by the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office.

Colo. GOP Senate race heats up

published in: Associated Press on: 07/01/2010 by: Kristen Wyatt

In a dingy, wood-paneled restaurant with a $9 pizza buffet, Ken Buck is waging the latest fight with a Republican Party establishment that favors candidates with shinier political pedigrees.

Colorado

Book chronicles life in Colorado’s gas fields

published in: Aspen Times on: 07/06/2010 by: John Colson

A newly published book takes sharp aim at the natural gas industry in Garfield County, providing readers with a very personal look at what the author and others say are the potentially deadly health effects that come from living close to gas derricks and wells.

Local startup aims to make roads into energy fields

published in: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel on: 07/03/2010 by: Gary Harmon

A Mesa County entrepreneur is hoping to make inroads into the energy field by building better roads for drill rigs.

Montana

News Release: Rehberg Invites Interior Secretary to Public Meeting and Visit to Site of Proposed National Monuments

Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar expressing concerns about proposals to designate between 2.5 and 4.1 million acres of Montana lands as National Monuments. He also urged him to include all impacted Montanans in the discussions long before such a designation is ever made.

New Mexico

PNM fined record $371,000 for gas leak

published in: New Mexico Independent on: 07/07/2010 by: Bryant Furlow

The state Public Regulation Commission (PRC) Tuesday voted unanimously to fine the Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) $371,000 for a 2008 incident in which the company failed for two months in 2008 to repair a potentially explosive gas leak in Albuquerque…

New PRC commissioner Becenti-Aguilar takes office

published in: New Mexico Independent on: 07/06/2010 by: Bryant Furlow

Theresa Becenti-Aguilar is scheduled to be sworn in Tuesday morning as New Mexico’s newest Public Regulation Commission (PRC) commissioner.

BLM to revise plan for southeastern New Mexico

published in: Associated Press on: 07/02/2010 by: Staff

The Bureau of Land Management is starting to update its plan for managing everything from oil and natural gas development to wildlife and recreation across millions of acres in southeastern New Mexico.

North Dakota

What North Dakota’s oil patch needs gets a look

published in: Bismarck Tribune on: 07/06/2010 by: Christopher Bjorke

If oil patch workers had their own city, it might be the eighth largest in the state.

Reps Meet in Williston to Discuss Oil Impact on State

published in: KFYR-TV News on: 06/30/2010 by: Ashley Urban

The oil boom in northwest North Dakota has created many jobs and opportunities in Williston. Even cities as far away as Grand Forks are benefiting.

Wyoming

State: Let’s make a deal

published in: Associated Press on: 07/07/2010 by: Mead Gruver

For Sale: Two square miles of Grand Teton National Park. Majestic views of the Teton Range. Prime location for luxury resort, home development.

EPA finishing up Pavillion-area monitoring wells

published in: Associated Press on: 07/07/2010 by: Mead Gruver
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has almost finished drilling two monitoring wells to test for pollution in a central Wyoming community where residents suspect chemicals related to gas drilling have contaminated their well water.

An oil boom in Laramie County?

published in: Wyoming News on: 07/04/2010 by: Michelle Dynes

Portions of the state not known for energy development, including Cheyenne, may be poised for an oil boom.

Washington Watch

House and Senate Western Caucuses to Hold “War on Western Jobs” Hearing

Senate Western Caucus Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY) and Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) will host a bicameral House and Senate Caucus hearing entitled “The War on Western Jobs” on Tuesday, July 13, 2010. The hearing will examine the Administration’s policies and their negative impact on jobs and communities throughout the West.

CBO: Kerry-Lieberman bill trims deficit by $19B over 10 years

published in: The Hill on: 07/07/2010 by: Michael O’Brien

An energy and climate bill co-sponsored by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) would reduce the deficit by $19 billion during the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found Wednesday.

US Rep Waxman Opposes Proposed TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline

published in: NASDAQ/Dow Jones Newswires on: 07/07/2010 by: Edward Welsch

Plans to expand the flow of crude into the U.S. from Canada’s oil sands faced mounting political pressure Tuesday as the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives energy committee, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), said he’s opposed to the expansion of TransCanada’s Corp.’s ( TRP, TRP.T)

EPA Unveils Rules on Smog-Forming Emissions From Power Plants

published in: New York Times/E&E News on: 07/07/2010 by: Gabriel Nelson

U.S. EPA released proposed rules today for smog and soot-forming emissions from power plants, setting up the start of a rulemaking process that could influence Senate negotiations on an energy and climate bill.

Chambliss’ energy bill pushes natural gas, nuclear power

published in: Ledger-Enquirer on: 07/06/2010 by: Halimah Abdullah

Republican Sens. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and Richard Burr of North Carolina have introduced energy legislation focused on expanding the nation’s use of natural gas and nuclear power.

Obama Decried, Then Used, Some Bush Drilling Policies (subscription required)

published in: Wall Street Journal on: 07/05/2010 by: Neil King Jr. and Keith Johnson

Less than four months after President Barack Obama took office, his new administration received a forceful warning about the dangers of offshore oil drilling.

Pressure On For Swift Makeover Of Drilling Regulator

published in: NPR on: 07/05/2010 by: Brian Naylor

The federal agency charged with overseeing offshore oil drilling has been given a new name and has a new director.

Senate unlikely to pass CO2 curbs — Bingaman

published in: Electric Light & Power/E&E News on: 07/02/2010 by: Robin Bravender, Noelle Straub and Josh Voorhees

Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) said the Senate must pass an energy bill before the August recess in order to have it signed into law this year, but he is “dubious” about the chances for carbon dioxide limits.

Activists Beg Obama to Step Up Climate Push

published in: New York Times on: 07/02/2010 by: John M. Broder

A coalition of environmental organizations sent President Obama a letter on Friday pleading for him to intervene in the stalled Senate negotiations on climate and energy legislation.

Environment and Wildlife

CO2 Emissions to Rise 3.2% This Year, EIA Projects

published in: Bloomberg/Businessweek on: 07/07/2010 by: Simon Lomax

U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from energy use will climb 3.2 percent this year on economic growth and higher use of fossil fuels to generate electricity, the Energy Information Administration forecast today.

Western initiative’s emission system will help state economies — report (subscription required)

published in: E&E News on: 07/07/2010 by: Debra Kahn

The Western Climate Initiative regional cap-and-trade system will benefit its member states’ economies, if only slightly, according to an analysis released today.

Technology, Alternative & Renewables

Will Natural Gas Hurt Renewables?

published in: Green Tech Media on: 07/07/2010 by: Meghan Moreland

Over 700 leaders in renewable energy convened in New York City June 29-30 to talk finance at the seventh annual REFF-Wall Street conference.

Vestas to build R&D facility in Louisville

published in: Denver Business Journal on: 07/07/2010 by: Staff

Vestas Wind Systems A/S, the Danish wind turbine manufacturer, announced Wednesday it’s creating a new research-and-development facility in Louisville that will employ up to 240 people in the next three years.

Bang for the blade

published in: Associated Press on: 07/02/2010 by: Matt Joyce

Wind developers can produce some of the cheapest wind energy in the West in Wyoming, according to a new study, but the cost advantage decreases when one accounts for delivering the power to West Coast markets.

Markets

U.S. Raises Natural Gas Production, Price Forecasts

published in: Bloomberg/Businessweek on: 07/07/2010 by: Moming Zhou

The U.S. raised its forecast for natural gas production this year and said the threat of hurricanes would boost prices.

Study says displacement of coal would strain US gas supply

published in: Oil & Gas Journal on: 07/07/2010 by: Staff

A push in the US to cut emissions of carbon dioxide by 20% would strain domestic supplies of natural gas and require new supply of energy from nuclear and renewable sources for power generation.

Crude oil price falls but natural gas rallies

published in: Oil & Gas Journal on: 07/02/2010 by: Sam Fletcher

Crude oil prices continued to tumble July 1 in the New York market amid more signs of a slowdown in the economic recovery, but natural gas was up following a smaller-than-expected injection into US underground storage.

Industry News and Events

BP Aims to Fix Leaking Oil Well by July 27: Report

published in: Reuters on: 07/08/2010 by: Staff

Besieged energy giant BP aims to fix its leaking Gulf oil well by July 27, ahead of its earlier target of mid-August, to show investors it has limited its burgeoning oil spill liabilities, the Wall Street Journal said, citing company officials.

BP Wants Partners to Help Shoulder Spill Cost

published in: New York Times on: 07/04/2010 by: John Schwartz

BP has said repeatedly that it will pay for the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But its actions show that it does not intend to go it alone.

EHS Peer Group 3rd Quarter Meeting

July 15, 2010 in Denver

The next Rocky Mountain Environmental Health & Safety Peer Group meeting will take place on July 15th at 8:30 am at EnCana’s office (370 17th St., 40th Floor). Click here to view the agenda. Please RSVP to Gabriele Forrest.

Front Range Energy Career Expo and Forum

September 24, 2010

The 2010 Front Range Energy Career Expo and Forum, which takes place at Red Rocks Community College, is designed as an educational event for high school students in the Denver Metro area to bring college representatives, energy companies, and students together in one location, to present information about college options and career opportunities to the future generation of leaders. This year’s event will be co-hosted by High Plains Communications, LLC and Red Rocks Community College.

Lunch will be provided for all attendees, and we will have separate break-out sessions for teachers and counselors. Please contact Jaime Gardner or (970) 597-0696 for more information. Click here to download the registration form. Click here to download the sponsor form.

Content Policy

Materials contained herein are a summary of industry related issues and are for the edification of IPAMS members only. Contents do not reflect official comments or positions of IPAMS. Attribution of Wildcatter Weekly contents for publication without IPAMS consent is prohibited. NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.

July 1, 2010

jhaubert — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:23:18 +0000

IPAMS Meetings and Announcements

This Week in Congress

This was a busy week in Washington as Congress rushed to push through onerous measures in response to the Gulf spill before breaking for the Fourth of July weekend. The House Natural Resource Committee held a hearing on the latest version of the CLEAR Act (Consolidated Land, Energy and Aquatic Resources), which would subject onshore development to the reorganized MMS bureaus, and change onshore leasing to a sealed-bid system, reduce lease sales, increase rents and bonus, and require “diligent development” reporting, among other provisions. Interestingly, the section removing statutory categorical exclusions is no longer in this version of the bill, but there is a fracking disclosure section and new reclamation requirements. IPAMS will continue to take the lead fighting the public lands aspects of this legislation. The committee will markup the bill on July 14th. IPAMS position paper on the new version of the bill is available here.

Meanwhile over in the Energy & Commerce Committee, the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment held a hearing on the Blowout Prevention Act, although the committee decided not to markup the bill today as previously planned. While the intention of the bill is to prevent a similar accident offshore, the vague definition of a “high risk well” could mean it would apply to most onshore wells also. IPAMS put together detailed notes on the impact to onshore operations, thanks to the technical review of engineers at several member companies, and submitted them to the subcommittee.

And over on the Senate side, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee was marking up S. 3516, also designed to prevent an oil spill offshore. IPAMS provided input on provisions to the committee, and worked with allies to fight back onshore provisions and ensure that the bill remains focused on provisions actually related to preventing further accidents.

IPAMS will continue to keep you posted on all these bills as they move after the Congressional recess.

IPAMS 2010 Annual Meeting and Summer Conference a Success!

Thank you to the 200+ members and family who came to Beaver Creek last week for the 2010 IPAMS Annual Meeting and Summer Conference. Over three days a wide variety of topics was discussed, as well as some networking, relaxation, and a joining together as an industry to discuss shared future ahead.

From macroeconomics to production and transportation, IPAMS had nationally recognized keynote speakers and dynamic panels that spurred discussion and ideas. For those who attended for the first time, we hope this is the beginning of a long-time relationship and lasting engagement with the IPAMS membership. For the board and executive leadership teams, the entire membership is looking forward to the year ahead and the tasks and accomplishments that await us.

As always, a very special thank you to the sponsors that continue to make this happen:

IPAMS in the News

Colo.’s Vermillion Basin will be off-limits to drillers, BLM says (subscription required)

published in: E&E Land Letter on:0 7/01/2010 by: Phil Taylor

Kathleen Sgamma, director of government affairs for the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States said… “Once again, the Department of Interior has chosen to listen to one set of special interests rather than the balanced recommendations created by countless hours of input from a broad range of community stakeholders engaged over seven years,” she said. “Rather than allowing a balanced development of energy resource under a very restrictive and protective plan devised by a multiyear community and state effort, Interior has decided that jobs and economic development in northwest Colorado are not that important.”

BLM brings ‘cultural’ bias to permitting decisions, analysis says (subscription required)

published in: E&E Land Letter on: 07/01/2010 by: Scott Streater

“I think it’s important to remember there’s always a balance when it comes to energy development on federal lands,” said Kathleen Sgamma, IPAMS’s director of government affairs. “One has to ask if the energy jobs and economic activity are worth the environmental impacts. Here in the West, producers supply 27 percent of America’s natural gas while disturbing less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the federal land. We certainly think we’ve struck the right balance between public land use and environmental impact.”

Industry, state have close ties

published in: Billings Gazette/Casper Star-Tribune on: 06/25/2010 by: Dustin Bleizeffer

…Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States manager of government affairs Spencer Kimball said, “There has not been a single documented case of contamination from hydraulic fracking.”

IPAMS Membership Update

This week we are proud to recognize the following new memberships:

UPGRADED MEMBERSHIP
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation

PROSPECTOR MEMBER
Faegre & Benson LLP

PIONEER MEMBERS
Advanced Monitoring Methods, LLC
Energy Capital Solutions
Poulson, Odell & Peterson, LLC

For more information or to refer a company to IPAMS regarding membership please contact Susan Fakharzadeh.

Other Upcoming Meetings

Utah Basin Advisors Network (UBAN) Meeting – July 13th, 10:00 a.m.

Uinta Basin Air Quality Working Group – July 14th, 9:00 a.m.

Montana Basin Advisors Network (MBAN) Meeting - July 19th, 1:30 p.m.

The West

Western Governors Confront Increased Demand for Water, Energy

published in: Flathead Beacon on: 06/30/2010 by: Dan Testa

The annual conference of the Western Governors’ Association, meeting here to celebrate 100 years of its existence, provides state leaders with an amiable environment in which to discuss extraordinarily thorny problems.

Western Election News

Norton, Buck swap jabs and pledge of support

published in: Denver Post on: 06/30/2010 by: Allison Sherry

GOP Senate candidates Jane Norton and Ken Buck shoved each other around Tuesday as to who was the truer conservative, calling each other out on fiscal records in previous jobs and each claiming the other is more entangled in the Republican establishment.

Clinton Endorses Romanoff

published in: CQ Politics on: 06/29/2010 by: John McArdle

Former President Bill Clinton on Tuesday split from national party leaders by throwing his support to former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff who is challenging appointed Senator Michael Bennet in Colorado’s Democratic primary.

McInnis, Hickenlooper differ on oil, gas regs

published in: Colorado Stateman on: 06/28/2010 by: Ernest Luning

Colorado’s two leading gubernatorial candidates on Tuesday told a group of energy executives that the state’s new oil and gas rules could use an update.

Colorado

COGA Announces Keynote Speakers, Topics for Energy Epicenter Conference

published in: PR Newswire on: 06/29/2010 by: Staff

The Colorado Oil & Gas Association today announced several presenters and program highlights for the 22nd Annual Rocky Mountain Energy Epicenter Conference in Denver.

Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission pondering court ruling

published in: Glenwood Springs Post Independent on: 06/29/2010 by: John Colson

The state agency in charge of oil and gas development in Colorado has yet to decide what to do about a recent court ruling viewed by some as whittling away the commission’s authority.

Plans for Colorado’s new-energy economy get tangled in “green tape”

published in: Denver Post on: 06/27/2010 by: Jason Blevins

More than 50 locals are erupting — emotions are high as they pepper their county commissioners with questions and concerns about a proposed nearby uranium mill that not only would fuel the national push for alternative energy, but could resuscitate neighboring towns.

North Dakota

Group calls N.D. oil patch’s output for 2009 ‘off the chart’

published in: Associated Press on: 06/27/2010 by: James MacPherson

Oil companies last year pumped a record high 79.7 million barrels of crude out of North Dakota’s oil patch, enough to fill more than 5,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. And officials said this year, there’s going to be even more.

Utah

Utah to pay Navajos $33M in trust fund dispute

published in: Salt Lake Tribune on: 06/30/2010 by: Pamela Manson

U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell approved a $33 million settlement of a lawsuit Tuesday accusing Utah of mismanaging a Navajo oil royalties trust fund, ending nearly two decades of litigation.

Groups seek to block drilling in Utah forests

published in: Associated Press on: 06/29/2010 by: Jennifer Dobner

Conservation groups are asking a judge to block oil and gas drilling around trout streams and in roadless forests of northern Utah.

Oil-spill crews still at work in Salt Lake City

published in: Associated Press on: 06/28/2010 by: Staff

Crews for Chevron Corp. are hosing the banks of a Salt Lake City creek to mop up the last of a 33,000-gallon oil spill.

Wyoming

Oil firms question sequestration

published in: Billings Gazette/Casper Star-Tribune on: 07/01/2010 by: Dustin Bleizeffer

Some people in the oil industry are miffed that the Wyoming Legislature allocated $45 million in federal Abandon Mine Lands funds for a carbon sequestration project.

Economic slump may continue for another year

published in: Casper Journal on: 06/28/2010 by: Greg Fladager

Wyoming is expected to remain in an economic slump for the coming year, and maybe longer, as it mirrors national trends.

Washington Watch

Waxman to push carbon limits in conference if Senate falls short

published in: The Hill on: 06/30/2010 by: Ben Geman

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) said he would “absolutely” seek to keep greenhouse gas limits alive in a House-Senate conference if the Senate approves energy legislation this summer that omits carbon provisions.

White House Energy Session Changes No Minds

published in: New York Times on: 06/29/2010 by: John M. Broder

The senators who emerged from a White House meeting with President Obama on energy policy on Tuesday made no effort to paper over the large differences that remain between them.

Mild climate bill still a tough sell

published in: Politico on: 06/30/2010 by: Darren Samuelsohn and Coral Davenport

President Barack Obama and key Senate Democrats signaled Tuesday that they can live with a climate bill that falls far short of the economywide cap-and-trade plan Obama campaigned on.

Study shows 522,000 jobs lost by 2015 due to Kerry_Lieberman’s cap-and-trade bill

published in: Washington Examiner on: 06/29/2010 by: Mark Tapscott

More than half a million jobs could be lost by 2015 if Congress approves the cap-and-trade portion of the Kerry-Lieberman anti-global warming bill, according to an independent analysis to be made public tomorrow by the Institute for Energy Research.

Click here to read the background and study commissioned by the Institute for Energy Research (IER)

Bingaman crafting utility-only climate plan

published in: The Hill on: 06/28/2010 by: Darren Goode
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) is the latest centrist lawmaker to provide political support for narrow climate legislation that would impose greenhouse gas limits on electric power plants only.

US Senate Republicans offer bill to boost natural gas, nuclear

published in: Platts on: 06/28/2010 by: Cathy Cash

Two Republican US senators Monday introduced a bill that would increase the use of natural gas, nuclear power and electric vehicles as a means of reducing the US power sector’s air emissions and building domestic energy supply without specifically targeting greenhouse gas emissions.

Lame-duck session emerges as possibility for energy bill conference

published in: New York Times/E&E ClimateWire on: 06/28/2010 by: Mike Soraghan

What Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) puts in the Senate climate and energy bill, and what gets added on the floor, may not matter as much as simply whether some bill passes.

Video: Harvard’s Cooper says U.S. is on wrong track in policy talks

published in: E&E TV on: 06/28/2010 by: Monica Trauzzi

As the Senate weighs its climate and energy policy options, a new study out of Harvard University evaluates the European Emission Trading System to better understand how a cap-and-trade system would work in the United States.

Media Watch

Editorial: Paying President’s ‘Price On Carbon’

published in: Investors.com on: 06/29/2010 by: Editorial Board

According to the Center for Data Analysis at the Heritage Foundation, prices at the gas pump would leap 58%, and residential electricity costs would “necessarily skyrocket” 90%.

Editorial: ND special oil session premature

published in: In Forum on: 06/27/2010 by: Editorial Staff

The whiny call for a special session of the North Dakota Legislature to deal with the impacts of western oil development is more politics than substance.

Environment and Wildlife

Grouse area grows

published in: Associated Press on: 06/30/2010 by: Matt Joyce

A state team released new recommendations Tuesday for preserving sage grouse in Wyoming, including adding more land that’s designated as protected habitat for the birds.

Feds reconsider whether to protect mountain plover

published in: Associatee Press on: 06/28/2010 by: Staff

A small, brown bird that breeds in the Rockies and Great Plains and winters in California, Texas, Arizona and Mexico may get federal protection after years of proposals.

Millions of gallons spilled in Colo. over 2 1/2 year period

published in: Denver Post on: 06/28/2010 by: Burt Hubbard

Oil and gas companies have reported almost 1,000 spills to Colorado regulators over the past 2 1/2 years, totaling 5.2 million gallons of drilling liquids and oil.

Technology, Alternative & Renewables

NASA makes natural gas discovery

published in: E&P Magazine on: 06/30/2010 by: Rhonda Duey

The critics are all over shale gas in the US, claiming that gas operations are polluting both the air and the water.

Pentagon sees no conflict between turbines, defense

published in: Earth News/E&E News on: 06/30/2010 by: Gabriel Nelson

With an increasing number of wind turbines popping up across the country, the government will need to modernize aging radar systems and update its review processes to prevent conflicts between wind developers and military operations, Pentagon and industry officials told a House Armed Services subpanel yesterday.

New report on wind energy highlights need for tax credits

published in: Houston Chronicle on: 06/28/2010 by: Tom Fowler

According to a report released today by the American Wind Energy Association, the wind energy sector could provide at least 14,000 additional manufacturing jobs in the next few years if current tax credits are expanded and new policies are enacted.

Markets

Energy Under Our Feet

published in: Forbes on: 07/01/2010 by: Ken Fisher

Despite its many critics, hydraulic fracturing will change the nature of energy production. Your investments in the energy sector should reflect that fact.

Oil, natural gas prices slump with consumer confidence

published in: Oil & Gas Journal on: 06/30/2010 by: Sam Fletcher

The forefront crude contract fell 3% June 29, its biggest drop since June 4, while the new front-month natural gas unit tumbled 3.9% on the New York market.

Industry News and Events

Schlumberger introduces new frac technique

published in: Offshore Magazine on: 06/29/2010 by: Staff

A new flow-channel hydraulic fracturing technique called HiWAY from Schlumberger is designed to maximize production by creating open flow channels within the propped fracture.

Study Says Natural Gas Use Likely to Double

published in: Matthew L. Wald on: 06/28/2010 by: New York Times

Natural gas will provide an increasing share of America’s energy needs over the next several decades, doubling its share of the energy market to 40 percent, from 20 percent, according to a report to be released Friday by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

You may view the MIT study on IPAMS Studies page, www.ipams.org/resources/studies

Front Range Energy Career Expo and Forum

September 24, 2010

Content Policy

Materials contained herein are a summary of industry related issues and are for the edification of IPAMS members only. Contents do not reflect official comments or positions of IPAMS. Attribution of Wildcatter Weekly contents for publication without IPAMS consent is prohibited. NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.

June 17, 2010

jhaubert — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 21:48:31 +0000

IPAMS Meetings and Announcements

IPAMS Annual Meeting and Summer Conference

June 23-25 in Beaver Creek, CO

Friday, June 18th is the last day to register! Click here to view the agenda and details and register today!

Space is filling up for this celebrated annual event; an opportunity to meet and network with industry leadership and hear perspectives on what’s happening in our industry, from a macroeconomic outlook to regional issues. Join IPAMS in this relaxed setting for just the right mix of business and pleasure– discuss topics such as production and transportation, demand growth and western regional competitiveness while networking with fellow IPAMS members.

Golf Tournament: Foursomes are still available; contact us today if you are interested in golfing or would like to donate an item to be included in the golf cart gift bags!

Silent Auction: We will be ending this year’s event with a silent auction; if you are interested in donating an item, contact Membership and Events intern Kristina Rogers for more information.

In case you missed it: Click here to read a message from IPAMS Executive Director Marc Smith,“Industry Summit in Beaver Creek: IPAMS Annual Meeting and Summer Conference continues a tradition of excellence,” outlining in greater detail some of this year’s exceptional speakers.

IPAMS thanks the following sponsors for supporting the Annual Meeting and Summer Conference:

Anadarko | Basic Energy Services | Berry Petroleum Corporation | Bill Barrett Corporation | Black Hills Exploration and Production

Mesa Energy Partners, LLC | M.J. England & Associates | New Prospect Company | Nielson & Associates, Inc. | Noble Energy Inc.

Petroleum Development Corporation | Pioneer Natural Resources | Questar Market Resources | Samson Resources | Schlumberger

SM Energy | Tracker Resources | Trinity Petroleum Management LLC | US Bank | Ultra Petroleum, Inc.

Welborn Sullivan Meck & Tooley, PC | Whiting | Williams

For more information and for sponsorship, contact Becca Ness or 303.623.0987.

Tax Increase on Industry Defeated! Please thank your Senators

On Tuesday, an amendment to tax legislation offered by Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-VT) that would have increased taxes on independent producers was defeated. Among the specific provisions in the amendment were the elimination of the expensing of intangible drilling and development costs and eliminating percentage depletion. Sen. Sanders justified his amendment as penalizing “Big Oil,” when in fact it would have overwhelmingly affected independent producers. The amendment mirrored a similar energy tax increase proposed earlier this year by President Obama.

Because of IPAMS hard work over the past several years educating the Western Congressional Delegation on the adverse effects of such punitive legislation, every Senator from the producing states in our region voted no on this amendment. Please take a moment to thank your senator for supporting domestic energy and western jobs.

Click on the Senator’s name below to access their individual contact form:

Colorado:
Michael Bennet (Dem.)
Mark Udall (Dem.)

Utah:
Robert Bennett (Rep.)
Orrin Hatch (Rep.)

New Mexico:
Jeff Bingaman (Dem.)
Tom Udall (Dem.)

Montana:
Max Baucus (Dem.)
Jon Tester (Dem.)

North Dakota:
Kent Conrad (Dem.)
Byron Dorgan (Dem.)

Wyoming:
John Barrasso (Rep.)
Michael Enzi (Rep.)

IPAMS Request for Proposal – Legal

IPAMS is seeking proposals for two potential legal actions that the organization is considering. Proposals are requested for the two legal actions outlined in the notes from the legal task force meeting, available on the IPAMS Government Affairs page in the LLR Committee section.

Proposals should be brief, and detail how the firm would approach the task, a timeline for specified tasks, a cost estimate, relevant firm experience, and CVs of key personnel. Only IPAMS member companies will be considered, with preference given to those that have provided volunteer work and substantive input to IPAMS. IPAMS cannot guarantee at this time that the organization will proceed with one or both of the actions, but will use the proposals to determine a reasonable cost and timeframe to present to the IPAMS Executive Committee. If the Committee decides to proceed with one or both of the actions, a selection process will commence. Please send proposals to Kathleen Sgamma by June 22nd at noon.

IPAMS in the News

Change unlikely for onshore O&G APD deadline

published in: Public Lands News on: 06/11/2010 by: James B. Coffin

“I don’t know how they could extend the deadline,” said Kathleen Sgamma, director of government affairs for the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain states (IPAMS), “because they routinely ignore that now.”

IPAMS Membership Update

The West

Colorado, mountain West ‘still struggling,’ says Brookings economic study

published in: Denver Business Journal on: 06/14/2010 by: Staff

The Denver area has made “discernible progress” in recovering from the recession, with two straight quarters of economic growth, “but that growth has yet to be translated into jobs,” says Mark Muro, co-author of the latest quarterly “Mountain Monitor” report on the Intermountain West’s economy from the Brookings Institution and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

Gulf spill stirs worry in Rockies

published in: Billings Gazette/Casper Star-Tribune on: 06/11/2010 by: Dustin Bleizeffer

It’s hard to imagine an oil well catastrophe in Wyoming that could compare with the damage wrought in the Gulf of Mexico for years to come.

Western Election News

Denver Petroleum Club Candidates Energy Forum

June 22, 2010 in Denver from 3pm-7pm

Two of Colorado’s candidates for governor will present their platforms on energy and take questions from the audience at a public event hosted by the Denver Petroleum Club on June 22.

The forum will be moderated by Adam Schrager of 9News and recorded for a future broadcast on YOUR SHOW. Members of the audience will be asked to participate in brief survey questions and will have the opportunity to pose questions directly to the candidates. John Hickenlooper and Scott McInnis have been asked to talk about important issues facing the oil and gas industry and discuss its role in Colorado’s economy. The afternoon event will take place in the ballroom of the Denver Athletic Club followed immediately by a reception on the sundeck. Click here for more information.

The cost is $35 for members of the Denver Petroleum Club or Denver Athletic Club, $55 for non-members. To register, visit www.denverpetroleumclub.com.

Washington Post’s Milbank got a lot wrong in his column, Romanoff says

published in: Denver Post on: 06/16/2010 by: Andrew Romanoff

Dana Milbank got my name right — but that’s about it. Milbank’s attempt to malign my character consumed 13 paragraphs in Monday’s Denver Post. Nearly every paragraph is false or misleading.

→Click here to see Dana Milbank’s column: “Andrew Romanoff’s cynical fratricide”

UT: Candidates spar over influence, semantics of industry money

published in: Salt Lake Tribune on: 06/15/2010 by: Brandon Loomis

A brewing dispute over the role of “corporate money” in their impending primary election spilled over into a public radio debate Tuesday between Democratic congressional challenger Claudia Wright and Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah.

Wyo. must adapt, candidate for governor says

published in: Gillette News-Record on: 06/12/2010 by: Nathan Payne
Wyoming must adapt to a new world, or risk being left behind, according to Leslie Petersen, 69, a Democrat running for governor. Regardless of an individual’s belief in the validity of global warming, more people, including regulators, are becoming more convinced by the day, Petersen said.

Colorado

With tighter rules on deepwater drilling, Colorado oil production could get a boost

published in: Denver Post on: 06/16/2010 by: Drew FitzGerald

Oil companies with operations in Colorado are watching the fallout from the gulf oil spill to see if regulatory changes could mean more reliance on land-based drilling for domestic production.

Report to detail potential drilling impacts on health in Battlement Mesa

published in: Aspen Times/Glenwood Springs Post Independent on: 06/16/2010 by: John Stroud

A public health assessment meant to study and offer advance recommendations on potential impacts to Battlement Mesa residents from future natural gas drilling is on track for a final report to be issued this fall.

Xcel’s complicated rate changes jolt some customers

published in: Denver Post on: 06/16/2010 by: David Migoya

If the new power bills weren’t complicated enough already, Xcel Energy forgot to tell its Colorado customers that a new pricing system for summer electricity use has a little twist.

Environmental groups, recreational community divided over land protection

published in: Denver Post on: 06/14/2010 by: Jason Blevins

Three citizen-crafted proposals to expand Colorado’s wilderness acreage could increase the state’s wildest lands by more than 1 million acres, marking one of the most sweeping pushes to protect Colorado’s wilderness.

North Dakota

N.D. official: Gulf spill could benefit state’s oil production in some ways

published in: Grand Forks Herald on: 06/15/2010 by: Ryan Johnson

North Dakota’s booming oil production probably won’t be affected much by the Gulf oil spill and the state may actually benefit from the disaster in some ways, a North Dakota Industrial Commission official said Tuesday.

ND oil rig count jumps 25 percent in 3 months

published in: Associated Press on: 06/15/2010 by: James MacPherson

The number of rigs drilling in North Dakota’s oil patch has jumped 25 percent in three months and more than tripled in the past year, the state Department of Mineral Resources said Monday.

Clark: North Dakota is future energy capital of America

published in: Jamestown Sun on: 06/14/2010 by: Teri Finneman
North Dakota is the future energy capital of North America, Gen. Wesley Clark said today.

ND: Oil-field driving economy

published in: Minot Daily News on: 06/11/2010 by: Eloise Ogden

The concentration of oil-field drilling rigs moving much farther east than they used to be is making the oil industry an important part of Minot’s economy and a big driver, says a North Dakota energy expert.

Utah

Utah official: Oil leak isn’t life threatening

published in: Associated Press on: 06/16/2010 by: Brock Vergakis

Samples taken from a waterway that had 33,000 gallons of crude oil leaked into it over the weekend show there’s no immediate threat to human health, Utah officials said Tuesday.

Roosevelt: Where energy production is a way of life

published in: Salt Lake Tribune on: 06/14/2010 by: Tom Wharton

The gigantic Nabors Well Service trucks hauling erector-set-like equipment slowed traffic approaching Duchesne County’s largest town.

Wyoming

Them on Us: Teton County vs. Wyoming

published in: Jackson Hole Weekly on: 06/16/2010 by: Jake Nichols

Teton County hex? Teton County is the only county in the state with no oil wells. Maybe that’s why the other 22 don’t understand us. Sen. Grant Larson said there is a definite resistance to Teton County in Cheyenne.

Wyoming prepares to plug CBM wells in rugged terrain

published in: Casper Star-Tribune on: 06/15/2010 by: Dustin Bleizeffer

State regulators may have to rush into a rugged area northeast of Buffalo this summer to plug dozens of abandoned coal-bed methane gas wells, or face additional costs to delay the project another year.

Washington Watch

White House seeks to bolster role in Senate energy talks

published in: New York Times/E&E News on: 06/17/2010 by: Robin Bravender

The White House is trying to assert its influence over the Senate climate debate after President Obama’s nationwide energy address left some questioning how aggressively the president will push for comprehensive climate and energy legislation.

Dems, GOP spar over resolution asking for Interior docs, pass it anyway (subscription required)

published in: E&E News on: 06/17/2010 by: Patrick Reis

The House Natural Resources Committee yesterday easily approved a resolution demanding the Obama administration release more information about any plans to declare new national monuments.

Video: Lincoln to “fight hard” for derivatives plan

published in: Politico on: 06/16/2010 by: Staff

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) tells POLITICO the derivatives provision she authored in the Wall Street reform bill, which is one of the biggest remaining “X” factors in the legislation, is “very pragmatic” and “certainly possible.”

New oil industry watchdog has little energy experience

published in: New York Times/E&E News on: 06/16/2010 by: Mike Soraghan

To overhaul federal oversight of offshore drilling, President Obama has turned to a Washington lawyer with a reputation for fixing broken government agencies, but little or no background with energy or environmental issues.

Senate rejects killing oil drilling tax breaks

published in: Associated Press on: 06/16/2010 by: Staff

The Senate has killed an attempt to repeal lucrative tax breaks enjoyed by the oil and gas industry.

Republicans Accuse Obama of Trying to ‘Exploit’ Oil Spill to Pass Climate Legislation

published in: Fox News on: 06/15/2010 by: Jim Angle

President Obama has made clear that he sees the BP oil spill as a way to breathe new life into efforts to pass climate and energy legislation aimed at reducing the use of carbon fuels such as oil and coal.

Key Dem says votes lacking to include climate change in energy bill

published in: The Hill on: 06/15/2010 by: Michael O’Brien

There aren’t enough votes to include climate change rules in a Senate energy bill, a top Democrat said Tuesday.

EPA: Climate Bill Costs Less Than Postage Stamp

published in: Associated Press on: 06/15/2010 by: Staff

A climate and energy bill being pushed in the Senate would cost American households 22 to 40 cents a day — less than the cost of a first-class postage stamp, the Obama administration said Tuesday.

→Click here to see IER’s “EPA Paints Rosy Picture of American Power Act”

Sen. Kerry mends relationships with Pickens, Lieberman

published in: The Hill on: 06/15/2010 by: Alexander Bolton

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) has worked to thaw once-icy relationships to advance his dream of passing climate change legislation.

Clinton-era secretary blasts department; scientists say Salazar should quit

published in: New York Times/E&E News on: 06/14/2010 by: Patrick Reis

The Interior Department is under attack from a former department chief who said it is incapable of overseeing offshore drilling and from a group of scientists and environmental groups calling for its current head to be fired.

Dems want chemical disclosure in cleanup, containment efforts

published in: New York Times/E&E News on: 06/11/2010 by: Katie Howell

House Democrats who have led the charge for greater regulation of a controversial natural gas production technique are taking their chemical-disclosure rhetoric to the Gulf of Mexico.

Sens. Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad vote against Murkowski amendment

published in: Bismarck Tribune on: 06/10/2010 by: Rebecca Beitsch

North Dakota’s Sens. Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad, both Democrats, voted against the Murkowski amendment, which would overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s determination that greenhouse gases endanger public health.

Media Watch

Editorial: Wyo should hope BP survives Gulf spill

published in: Casper Star-Tribune on: 06/16/2010 by: Editorial Staff

British Petroleum has the attention of the entire world, thanks to the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 workers and, more than 50 days later, continues to spew massive amounts of oil and natural gas into the water.

Editorial: Foiled by oil

published in: Salt Lake Tribune on: 06/15/2010 by: Editorial Staff

Oil-soaked birds, a sheen on the water, stream banks painted with petroleum. Absorbent booms and mats and men in hard hats skimming oil from the surface, scraping oil from the soil, pressure-washing Colorado crude from Utah rocks. This time, the spill hit close to home.

Op-ed: In defense of the grouse

published in: Casper Star-Tribune on: 06/13/2010 by: Chad Baldwin

When the presence of a critter impedes industrial activity as the sage grouse has in Wyoming, it’s not surprising that the animal would become an object of contempt for people whose livelihoods are linked to that industry.

Op-ed: Oil shale and the future

published in: Salt Lake Tribune on: 06/11/2010 by: Jim Spehar

“The task is great. So is the need. And there is no time to lose.” — Exxon’s 1980 “White Paper” Those stirring words concluded a 10-page document released in the early summer 30 years ago outlining Exxon’s grand plan to help solve the nation’s energy crisis of the 1970s.

Environment and Wildlife

Test case for endangered species?

published in: Associated Press on: 06/15/2010 by: Matt Volz

A federal court hearing today could decide how the federal Endangered Species Act is interpreted, and whether the government can use political considerations in choosing how and where a species can be listed under the act, according to people on both sides of the issue.

Montana oil firm fined over dead birds

published in: Associated Press on: 06/11/2010 by: Staff

A Cut Bank, Mont., energy firm has been placed on probation and fined $15,000 after 18 migratory birds died in a pond of oil that leaked from a storage tank.

Technology, Alternative & Renewables

Mayors Endorse ‘Green’ Construction Code, Natural-Gas Vehicles

published in: New York Times/E&E News on: 06/15/2010 by: Michael Burnham and Jason Plautz

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is backing a mandatory “green” construction code that would slash the negative effects of commercial buildings on the natural environment.

Bureau of Land Management releases rental rates for solar installations on public land

published in: Los Angeles Times on: 06/14/2010 by: Tiffany Hsu

The federal Bureau of Land Management released rental rates for solar power installations planned for public land across the sunny Western states.

Markets

Mystery in Natural-Gas Markets (subscription required)

published in: Wall Street Journal on: 06/17/2010 by: Carolyn Cui and Christine Buurma

A sharp move in natural-gas-market contracts has caught traders’ attention and sparked talk that at least one market participant may have been caught on the wrong side of a trade.

Oil climbs above $75/bbl, while gas tops $5/MMbtu

published in: Oil & Gas Journal on: 06/15/2010 by: Sam Fletcher

The front-month crude contract rebounded June 14 above $75/bbl, recovering most of its June 11 loss in the New York market while the near-month natural gas contract climbed above $5/MMbtu.

Twilight of the Coal Era?

published in: New York Times on: 06/14/2010 by: Matthew L. Wald

The electricity market is in the doldrums, but the market for new generating stations that use natural gas is going strong, industry experts say.

Industry News and Events

After an Oil Calamity, Is It Time for Natural Gas?

published in: Time Magazine on: 06/15/2010 by: Erik Heinrich

What’s the quickest path to achieving a future in which the U.S. is no longer held hostage by foreign oil and carbon emissions are sharply curtailed?

Questar approves spinoff of natural gas business

published in: Associated Press on: 06/14/2010 by: Staff

Questar said Monday that its board of directors has approved the spinoff of its natural gas and oil exploration and midstream field services businesses.

Onshore accidents add to concerns

published in: Houston Chronicle on: 06/13/2010 by: Brett Clanton

A string of accidents this month at natural gas operations on land could not have come at a worse time for Houston’s vast energy industry.

Western Governors’ Association 2010 Annual Meeting

June 27-29, 2010 in Whitefish, MT

The Western Governors’ Association will recognize “100 Years of Common Ground” at this year’s Annual Meeting. Topics will include:

-Sharing a Finite Resource: Challenges and Opportunities in Water Management

-Building New Energy Generation and Transmission

-Working Across Borders to Conserve Landscapes

For more information on the meeting visit the WGA Web site at www.westgov.org.

Front Range Energy Career Expo and Forum

September 24, 2010

Content Policy

Materials contained herein are a summary of industry related issues and are for the edification of IPAMS members only. Contents do not reflect official comments or positions of IPAMS. Attribution of Wildcatter Weekly contents for publication without IPAMS consent is prohibited. NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.

Close Vote Tomorrow on Tax Increases – Please Take Action

jhaubert — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:09:47 +0000

“Never let a serious crisis go to waste. What I mean by that is it’s an opportunity to do things you couldn’t do before.”

-Rahm Emanual

Chief of Staff, White House

Reiterations of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s statement have run across most every newspaper and online publication in America. It’s a good reminder about how politics can drive the agenda in Washington D.C.

On May 19^th, IPAMS outlined an announcement made by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar about implementing guidance for onshore natural gas and oil policy. (After logging in, IPAMS Members can click here to view “Reading between the lines.”). The Secretary took full advantage of the announcement to show how he’s being tough on industry in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico incident.

As the Deepwater Horizon accident continues to be used as ammunition against America’s energy producers, I’d like to highlight the latest legislative attack against industry. Senator Bernard Sanders (I-VT) has introduced an amendment to tax extension legislation that would increase taxes on independent producers. Among the specific provisions in the amendment are eliminating the expensing of intangible drilling and development costs and eliminating percentage depletion.

Senator Sanders justifies his amendment as penalizing “Big Oil” when in fact the amendment would overwhelmingly affect independent producers. The amendment mirrors a similar energy tax increase proposed earlier this year by President Obama.

A vote could come as early as tomorrow, June 15th.

Urge your Senators now to oppose IDC and Percentage Depletion Repeal in the Senate. Click here to join IPAMS and IPAA in opposing this misguided effort!

June 10, 2010

jhaubert — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:47:49 +0000

IPAMS Meetings and Announcements

IPAMS Annual Meeting and Summer Conference

June 23-25 in Beaver Creek, CO

Have you registered? Click here to view the agenda and details and register today!

Golf Tournament: Foursomes are still available; contact us today if you are interested in golfing or would like to donate an item to be included in the golf cart gift bags!

Saddle Ridge Dinner: **PRICE REDUCED** Join us for an elegant evening of networking, entertainment and fun to kick off this year’s event.

Silent Auction: We will be ending this year’s event with a silent auction; if you are interested in donating an item, contact Membership and Events intern Kristina Rogers for more information.

In case you missed it: Click here to read a message from IPAMS Executive Director Marc Smith,“Industry Summit in Beaver Creek: IPAMS Annual Meeting and Summer Conference continues a tradition of excellence,” outlining in greater detail some of this year’s exceptional speakers.

IPAMS thanks the following sponsors for supporting the Annual Meeting and Summer Conference:

Anadarko | Basic Energy Services | Berry Petroleum Corporation | Bill Barrett Corporation | Black Hills Exploration and Production

Cordillera Energy Partners III, LLC | Devon Energy Corporation | Edmonds Energy Corp. | El Paso E& P | EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc.

Mesa Energy Partners, LLC | M.J. England & Associates | New Prospect Company | Nielson & Associates, Inc. | Noble Energy Inc.

Petroleum Development Corporation | Pioneer Natural Resources | Questar Market Resources | Samson Resources | Schlumberger

SM Energy | Tracker Resources | Trinity Petroleum Management LLC | US Bank | Ultra Petroleum, Inc.

Welborn Sullivan Meck & Tooley, PC | Whiting | Williams

For more information and for sponsorship, contact Becca Ness or 303.623.0987.

IPAMS Request for Proposal – Legal

IPAMS Membership Update

Western Election News

Denver Petroleum Club Candidates Energy Forum

June 22, 2010 in Denver from 3pm-7pm

Two of Colorado’s candidates for governor will present their platforms on energy and take questions from the audience at a public event hosted by the Denver Petroleum Club on June 22.

The cost is $35 for members of the Denver Petroleum Club or Denver Athletic Club, $55 for non-members. To register, visit www.denverpetroleumclub.com.

Economy, energy top Gosar’s agenda

published in: Casper Star-Tribune on: 06/09/2010 by: Jackie Borchardt

Democratic candidate for governor Pete Gosar made his first campaign stop Tuesday at the Men’s Democratic Luncheon in Casper.

WY: Energy issues up for debate at annual expo

published in: Gillette News-Record on: 06/09/2010 by: Steve McManamen

All six gubernatorial candidates will debate energy issues facing Wyoming at the 11th annual Energy Expo on Wednesday and Thursday at the Wyoming Center at Cam-plex.

Wright says Matheson is in Big Oil’s pocket

published in: Salt Lake Tribune on: 06/07/2010 by: Brandon Loomis

The challenger trying to take Rep. Jim Matheson’s place as the Democratic nominee for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District says her opponent should react more aggressively to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and use his position to press for stronger offshore drilling regulations.

In CD7, Perlmutter, Frazier wage another battle over energy policy

published in: Colorado Independent on: 06/07/2010 by: Joseph Boven

The top candidates for Colorado’s Seventh Congressional District are facing off on energy policy and jobs, the debate breaking along predictable lines.

Potter: N.D. should step back from oil development ‘gold rush mentality’

published in: Grand Forks Herald on: 06/03/2010 by: Ryan Johnson

U.S. Senate candidate Tracy Potter said Thursday that North Dakota needs to have less of a “gold rush mentality” when it comes to oil development and instead take a cue from former Gov. Art Link’s concerns about the “one-time harvest” of natural resources in the state.

Colorado

County unwilling to endorse new Divide Creek drilling moratorium

published in: Glenwood Springs Post Independent on: 06/08/2010 by: John Stroud

Garfield County commissioners will ask for a meeting with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) to address ongoing concerns about possible water contamination from natural gas drilling in the Divide Creek area.

New Mexico

NM high court: Emissions cap proposal may proceed

published in: Associated Press on: 06/08/2010 by: Susan Montoya Bryan

The New Mexico Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for a state regulatory panel to resume consideration a petition to establish a cap on greenhouse gas emissions in the state.

North Dakota

Report quantifies Three Forks oil reserves

published in: Prairie Business on: 06/07/2010 by: Ryan Schuster

A recently-released study found that the Three Forks Formation holds nearly 2 billion barrels of recoverable oil in North Dakota, another signal that the state’s latest oil boom will have a prolonged impact.

Dorgan Requests Session for Oil Needs

published in: KXMCTV Minot on: 06/06/2010 by: Staff

Senator Byron Dorgan says not holding a special session of the Legislature to address infrastructure needs in western North Dakota would be a “big mistake”.

Developing state’s mineral resources

published in: Minot Daily News on: 06/05/2010 by: Eloise Ogden

A great deal is happening in North Dakota not only with the development of oil and gas but with other mineral resources too, said Lynn Helms, director of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources.

Wyoming

Audit: State losing out on revenue

published in: Associated Press on: 06/09/2010 by: Ben Neary

The Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments has been fairly passive in getting the most energy revenue from the 3.5 million acres of state lands it oversees, according to a legislative audit released Tuesday.

Wyoming approves ‘fracking’ disclosure rules

published in: Associated Press on: 06/08/2010 by: Mead Gruver

A state agency that oversees oil and gas development voted Tuesday to require energy companies to disclose what chemicals they’re pumping underground to improve the flow of oil and gas into well bores.

An “Oil City” Fears for Its Future

published in: Wyoming Energy News/New York Times on: 06/07/2010 by: Jesse Mckinley, William Yardley, Abby Goodnough And Mark Leibovich
The lobby of the elegant old Casper Petroleum Club is filled with suggestions of its pro-oil ethos: a sign listing current crude and natural gas prices; a wall of plaques recognizing local companies in the business; and dozens of photographs of beaming engineers and executives who have served on the board of the private club over the years.

Washington Watch

House members to ensure EPA regulation fight continues

published in: New York Times/E&E ClimateWire on: 06/10/2010 by: Robin Bravender

The House is often overlooked in the battle over federal climate rules, but some members intend to rally behind efforts to stop U.S. EPA regulations until something sticks.

Rockefeller backs Murkowski’s EPA resolution

published in: New York Times/E&E News on: 06/09/2010 by: Robin Bravender
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) will vote for a resolution to hamstring U.S. EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, he said yesterday.

Graham completes break with Kerry climate plan, backs Lugar energy bill with no emissions cap

published in: The Hill on: 06/09/2010 by: Ben Geman

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Wednesday threw his support behind a new energy bill sponsored by Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) even though it lacks mechanisms to create a cost for emitting greenhouse gases that Graham has called fundamental in the past.

GOP attacks oil tax plan

published in: Politico on: 06/09/2010 by: Scott Wong

“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” Those words, uttered in 2008 by White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, resurfaced on Wednesday as Republicans ripped into Democrats for using the BP oil spill to raise taxes.

Senate Dems look for consensus on energy bill

published in: Politico on: 06/07/2010 by: Meredith Shiner

Senate Democrats, flustered by the Gulf crisis and divided over climate legislation, are struggling to find consensus on a new energy bill.

Tracking down Minerals Management Service’s dysfunctional history of drilling oversight

published in: Denver Post on: 06/06/2010 by: Mark Jaffe and David Olinger

From its creation in 1982, the Minerals Management Service at the center of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster has been a conflicted agency.

Media Watch

Editorial: Drilling Bits of Fiction (subscription required)

published in: Wall Street Journal on: 06/10/2010 by: Editorial Staff

The Obama Administration is under political pressure to reverse its ill-considered deep water drilling moratorium, and the latest blowback comes from seven angry experts from the National Academy of Engineering who say their views were distorted to justify the ban.

Editorial: Fracking rules should benefit public, industry

published in: Casper Star-Tribune on: 06/10/2010 by: Editorial Staff

A few months ago, it didn’t seem likely that the oil and gas industry and environmentalists would ever agree about the need to regulate what’s being pumped into the ground during the hydraulic fracturing process.

Editorial: Obama’s Oil Crisis Politics (subscription required)

published in: Wall Street Journal on: 06/07/2010 by: Editorial Staff

Not too many weeks ago it looked as if President Obama’s cap-and-tax program for energy was dead for this year. But with the political and media left whacking the President for his handling of the worst spill in U.S. history, Democrats have suddenly decided that this is one more crisis that shouldn’t go to waste.

Environment and Wildlife

Feds mull extending ban on extraction

published in: Casper Star-Tribune on: 06/07/2010 by: Staff
Federal officials will meet in Dubois next week to discuss extending the withdrawal of the Bureau of Land Management mineral estate within an important bighorn sheep management area

Governor assails species litigation

published in: Billings Gazette/Casper Star-Tribune on: 06/04/2010 by: Chad Baldwin
Gov. Dave Freudenthal on Friday called for changes in both the federal Endangered Species Act and in the law that allows environmental groups to search for friendly venues to file lawsuits under the act.

Technology, Alternative & Renewables

A Call to Triple U.S. Spending on Energy Research

published in: New York Times on: 06/09/2010 by: John M. Broder

The United States is badly lagging in basic research on new forms of energy, deepening the nation’s dependence on dirty fuels and crippling its international competitiveness, a diverse group of business executives warn in a study to be released Thursday.

Going Solar Is Harder Than It Looks, a Valley Finds

published in: New York Times on: 06/03/2010 by: Kirk Johnson

The nightmare in the Gulf of Mexico, as oil spews unchecked from BP’s wrecked well, makes this high mountain valley seem even more idyllic than it is.

Markets

Energy firms turn to liquids as natgas disappoints

published in: Reuters on: 06/08/2010 by: Matt Daily

U.S. energy producers hurt by weak natural gas prices are seeking to squeeze more fuel from their liquids-rich natural gas fields such as the Eagle Ford and Granite Walsh, executives said on Tuesday.

Natural Gas Settles at 15-Week High on Hot Weather, Rig Decline

published in: Bloomberg/Businessweek on: 06/07/2010 by: Moming Zhou

Natural gas futures rose to the highest price in more than 15 weeks as forecasts showed hotter- than-normal weather across much of the U.S. next week, boosting demand for the power-plant fuel.

Industry News and Events

Debunking the Movie GasLand

“One-sided, flawed … in the Michael Moore mode” -Longtime NYT Editor, Columnist

Many in industry may have heard about this documentary targeting natural gas, but how much of it is true?

Click here to read Energy in Depth’s coverage and the de-bunking of the myths about the industry.

Devon Energy President John Richels Promoted To CEO (subscription required)

published in: Wall Street Journal on: 06/09/2010 by: Staff

Devon Energy Corp. (DVN) said it elected President John Richels to the additional role of chief executive, succeeding Larry Nichols. The Oklahoma City-based energy company has been benefiting from higher commodity prices and lower costs of late and has been selling assets to fund its North America drilling operations, buy back shares and retire debt.

8 of 15 Interior advisers disagreed with deepwater moratorium (subscription required)

published in: E&E News on: 06/09/2010 by: Katie Howell

Experts tapped by the Obama administration for advice on offshore drilling safety opposed a federal decision to halt deepwater drilling for six months, and they are objecting to the Interior Department using their names to support the report’s recommendations.

Industry took it on the chin during recession — report (subscription required)

published in: E&E News on: 06/08/2010 by: Nathanial Gronewold

Profits of the U.S. oil and gas industry plummeted last year in the face of an economic recession and the subsequent decline in energy demand, according to a new assessment by auditing and consulting giant Ernst & Young.

Why the Gulf Spill Won’t Touch Most Consumers

published in: U.S. News & World Report on: 06/07/2010 by: Rick Newman

It’s horrifying. Infuriating. Depressing, even. But the ghastly oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is likely to have little impact, if any, on the majority of Americans.

RPSEA 2010 AAPG Rocky Mountain Section Meeting

June 13-16 in Durango, Colorado

Visit RPSEA’s booth A-4

Click here for more details.

Utah: A Model for Clean, Safe Energy Development

June 15th in Salt Lake City, UT

The Responsible Energy Development Forum (REDF) and School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) are hosting an energy seminar entitle Utah: A Model for Clean, Safe Energy Development on June 15th from 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the State Capitol. The program includes remarks from state Senator Kevin VanTassell and Representatives Roger Barrus and Eric Hutchings, and a panel moderated by DOGM Director John Baza including representatives from Anadarko, Arch Coal, Bill Barrett Corp., Questar, Rocky Mountain Power, and the Utah Mining Association. Click here for the agenda.

Western Governors’ Association 2010 Annual Meeting

June 27-29, 2010 in Whitefish, MT

The Western Governors’ Association will recognize “100 Years of Common Ground” at this year’s Annual Meeting. Topics will include:

-Sharing a Finite Resource: Challenges and Opportunities in Water Management

-Building New Energy Generation and Transmission

-Working Across Borders to Conserve Landscapes

For more information on the meeting visit the WGA Web site at www.westgov.org.

Front Range Energy Career Expo and Forum

September 24, 2010

Content Policy

Materials contained herein are a summary of industry related issues and are for the edification of IPAMS members only. Contents do not reflect official comments or positions of IPAMS. Attribution of Wildcatter Weekly contents for publication without IPAMS consent is prohibited. NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.

Industry Summit in Beaver Creek: IPAMS Annual Meeting and Summer Conference—June 23-25 continues a tradition of excellence

jhaubert — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:32:36 +0000

For over thirty years, IPAMS Annual Meeting and Summer Conference has gained a reputation as the premier event for leaders in the western natural gas and oil industry. Attendees always appreciate the high caliber speakers and panelists, timely and valuable subject matter, and the family friendly events we offer. We hope that you will not miss this opportunity to join other industry leaders and gain valuable insights not available from any other conference in the country. We also hope you’ll give some of the rising talent in your company an excellent opportunity for professional development and expanding their network.

This year, our Annual Meeting and Summer Conference not only offers a new setting in beautiful Beaver Creek, Colorado, but also a new and improved agenda that we think is the perfect mix of information, networking activities, and fun for you and your entire family.

Click here to register for IPAMS 2010 Annual Meeting and Summer Conference.

This year’s theme focuses on Western Regional Competitiveness and includes an impressive lineup of speakers to help guide our conversations and provide insight along the way.

A Glimpse at the Agenda:

Top-notch Social Events in one of the country’s most beautiful settings:

IPAMS Annual Golf Tournament at the famous Red Sky Golf Club— Golf tournament foursomes are still available, but contact IPAMS right away to register before we fill up!

Dinner and a Show— only a few seats left! We’ve secured the exclusive Saddle Ridge at Beaver Creek for dinner on Wednesday night, where we will be treated to a private performance by comedian Phil Palisoul (click here to see Phil in action on The Tonight Show!)

Ø Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, tickets have been reduced to $200 per registrant, and $150 for guests. Contact Becca Ness at bness@ipams.org to secure your tickets now!

Thursday night dinner at the Beaver Creek Chop House (included with your registration)

Friday night in the Park: Featuring a silent auction, with not-to-miss items for the entire family to enjoy (included with your registration)

Exclusive speakers and panelists will provide a unique perspective to the challenges facing western producers:

This year, we are very fortunate to have Graham Copley, Senior Managing Director of Macquarie Capital USA, coming to share his view of the macroeconomic factors affecting the economy and energy industry.

Market experts Pete Stark of IHS, Porter Bennet of Bentek Energy LLC, and Tad True of Belle Fourche Pipeline will participate on a panel discussion on natural gas and oil resource potential, and provide an update on transportation and marketing issues.

Mike Smith of IOGCC will moderate a discussion on the regional competitiveness of oil and gas producing states with panelists Howard Gruenspecht of Energy Information Administration (EIA) and Gerry Angevine from the Frasier Institute.

Leslie Haines of Hart Energy Publishing will moderate an “Executive Roundtable” featuring Jim Volker, CEO of Whiting, Jim Kleckner, V.P. Operations of Anadarko, and Tony Best, CEO of St. Mary Land and Exploration.

IPAMS Director of Government Affairs, Kathleen Sgamma will host a panel focusing on public lands policy featuring Bob Comer of Faegre and Benson and Mark Ward from Utah Association of Counties.

Luke Marriott of Miller Coors will explain his company’s recent decision to power more facilities using natural gas.

Kevin Book of Clearview Energy Partners will provide a “big picture” look on energy landscape and what’s on the horizon at the intersection of politics and policy.

Floyd Ciruli of Ciruli and Associates will offer his political insight and public opinion polling and data on the upcoming elections and how it could impact the western region.

Tom Crowe of JW Operating will moderate a panel on natural gas demand featuring Brad Wilson of Wood McKenzie. Timothy Hunt of Go Natural CNG and Eric Neandross of Gladstein, Neandross and Associates will provide updates on trends and developments in the natural gas vehicle industry.

IPAMS Annual Meeting and Summer Conference is a rare opportunity to network with industry peers and gain insight on the issues that are impacting us as an industry. We look forward to a productive week in Beaver Creek, creating a conversation that is focused on our business, our region, and the ways in which we can all work together to move our industry forward.

And thank you to our event sponsors whose support has made this year’s meeting one you won’t want to miss!

Event sponsorships are still available and we’re still accepting items for our silent auction. If you are interested in sponsoring or making a donation, please contact Becca Ness at bness@ipams.org or (303) 623-0987.

Click here to register for IPAMS 2010 Summer Meeting and Annual Conference.

June 3, 2010

jhaubert — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 21:26:42 +0000

IPAMS Meetings and Announcements

IPAMS Annual Meeting and Summer Conference

June 23-25 in Beaver Creek, CO

Tomorrow is the last day to register at the discounted price for the IPAMS Annual Meeting and Summer Conference! Click here to view the agenda and details and register today!

Join IPAMS in this relaxed setting for just the right mix of business and pleasure– discuss topics such as production and transportation, demand growth and western regional competitiveness while networking with fellow IPAMS members. Sponsorship opportunities are available!

Thank you to our current sponsors:

G3 Operating, LLC | El Paso E&P | Ensign United States Drilling | Welborn Sullivan Meck & Tooley, P.C. | Petroleum Development

Click here to see the complete agenda and details for the IPAMS Annual Meeting and Summer Conference.

For more information and for sponsorship, contact Becca Ness or 303.623.0987.

Breakfast Reception for Steve Pearce (R-NM)

June 8, 2010 at 7:30 a.m. in Denver

IPAMS PAC is hosting a breakfast for former New Mexico Congressman Steve Pearce on Tuesday, June 8 at 7:30 a.m. at IPAMS (click here to see the invitation.)

Steve Pearce is a long time friend of the industry who was first elected to the House in 2002 and made an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate against Tom Udall (D-NM). Now Pearce is fighting to regain his seat in Congress, and he needs our support. Steve was a leader on the House Natural Resources Committee, where he was the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources. Before being elected to Congress, Pearce served in the New Mexico House of Representatives, and owned and operated his own oilfield services firm. If elected, Pearce will retain his seniority and return as a fourth term Congressman from New Mexico.

Please join IPAMS PAC in helping Steve Pearce return to Congress where he will continue to fight for domestic energy production. You can be on the Host Committee for a $1,000 donation or just attend the breakfast for $500. Checks should be payable to “People for Pearce.” Please remember that corporate donations are not permitted.

Thank you for supporting this important event, and please contact Jon Bargas if you have any questions.

Join IPAMS In Washington DC

June 14-16, 2010

IPAMS is organizing a trip to DC with small independents on June 14-16 to discuss proposed onshore fee and royalty rate increases. If you’re a small independent who would like to help us explain to Congress what the impacts of inspection fees, non-producing acreage fees, and a permanent APD fee will be on western jobs and economies, please contact Kathleen Sgamma.

Help Stop Harmful Policies That Impact Western Energy Producers

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would extend expiring tax provisions and modify the tax treatment of “carried interest”. The Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) has indicated much of the rationale for changing carried interest relates to its use by investment funds. In the natural gas and oil industry, small businesses often use a carried interest approach to create drill funds to develop new resource areas. The proposed legislative changes would alter the tax treatment for these projects and likely will not contain small business exclusions. IPAA has issued an action alert and IPAMS strongly encourages all members to click here and contact your representative in Congress.

Congress is already considering numerous revenue raising policies that impact all independent operators: the backbone of the western natural gas and oil supply. Inspection Fees, Non-producing Acreage Fees, Royalty Rates and permanent Application for Permit to Drill (APD) fees have all been proposed in the President’s FY 2011 Budget still under review by Congress.

Coupled with $36.5 billion in additional taxes on industry, these new fees and taxes will disproportionately impact the small businesses that produce 82% of America’s natural gas and 68% of the oil. The increased costs will remove capital from the development and production of American energy and result in further job losses.

Industry already more than pays for the administration of the onshore natural gas and oil program by returning $46 for every $1 BLM spends. In fact, if you factor in other federal taxes, industry returns about $123 dollars for every dollar the government spends. What other federal program provides such value to the American taxpayer? After the IRS, natural gas and oil production is the second highest source of revenue to the federal government.

To help better understand all the potential ramifications on industry, click here to read IPAMS position paper on fee and royalty rate increases.

IPAMS in the News

Letter to the Editor: “Editorial distorts”

published in: Salt Lake Tribune on: 06/02/2010 by: Kathleen Sgamma

The editorial “Rule change: Salazar reforms will improve process” (Our View, May 20) distorts the federal lands record in Utah. You ignore the seven years of effort that the people of Utah contributed to land-use planning.

Hatch Urges Administration to Reconsider Accessing Western Energy After President Suspends Off-shore Exploration

published in: TradingMarkets.com on: 05/28/2010 by: Staff

A recent survey by the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States (IPAMS) showed that in the absence of federal constraints, energy companies would be investing an additional $2.8 billion in the Rocky Mountain region.

Guest Editorial: Setting the record straight on wind energy

published in: Denver Post on: 05/28/2010 by: Frank Prager, Xcel Energy

Earlier this year, the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States (IPAMS) commissioned BENTEK Energy to prepare a study of the impact of renewable energy generation on Colorado air quality.

IPAMS Membership Update

Other Upcoming Meetings

Utah Basin Advisors Network (UBAN) Meeting with Senior Interior Advisor- June 8th, 10:00 a.m. Alan Gilbert, Senior Advisor to the Interior Secretary, Southwest and Rocky Mountain Regions will join the UBAN on Tuesday, June 8th at 10:00 to discuss leasing, permitting, NEPA analyses, wilderness, RMPs and other issues in Utah. Due to space constraints, we are asking for RSVPs for this meeting. Teleconferencing will also be available. Please contact Spencer Kimball if you plan to attend in person.

Colorado Basin Advisors Network (CBAN) Meeting: Colorado Rare Plants Presentation- June 9th, 10:00 a.m. This CBAN meeting will feature a presentation regarding a list of recommended Best Management Practices (BMPs) to reduce the impacts of oil and gas development to ‘plants of concern’ in Colorado by representatives of the Colorado Rare Plant Conservation Initiative. The Colorado Rare Plant Conservation Initiative, a partnership of 22 public agencies, private organizations, and academic institutions recently completed these voluntary oil and gas BMPs with funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). The Nature Conservancy and the Colorado Natural Heritage Program are co-leading this effort and have asked IPAMS’ members to provide feedback on the list of BMPs. If you would like to attend this meeting, please RSVP to Spencer Kimball at 303-623-0987, and please be prepared to discuss the list of BMPs (Available here).

Wyoming Basin Advisors Network (WYBAN) Meeting: Wyoming RMP amendments for sage grouse- June 10, 10:00 a.m. In order to incorporate new sage grouse management policies set forth in the BLM Wyoming Instructional Memorandum for sage grouse (released in December 2009), BLM is preparing to amend the Casper, Kemmerer, Pinedale, Rock Springs, Newcastle, and Rawlins RMPs. Please join us for the next WYBAN meeting on June 10th at 10:00 am to discuss the amendment and help coordinate IPAMS’ comments. Comments are due by June 28. Click here to view the Federal Register notice.

Agendas are available for upcoming meetings at http://www.ipams.org/advocacy/. All meetings unless otherwise indicated are Mountain time, and at IPAMS and via teleconference.

Western Election News

Colorado guv candidates agree on jobs, differ on oil industry regulation

published in: Colorado Independent on: 06/03/2010 by: Scot Kersgaard

In their first appearance together, Colorado’s three major gubernatorial candidates on Tuesday agreed that jobs and the economy are the dominant issues in this year’s election. Republicans Dan Maes and Scott McInnis championed the oil and gas industry in the state and decried regulation.

Romanoff confirms White House job discussions

published in: Denver Post on: 06/03/2010 by: Michael Booth

U.S. Senate candidate Andrew Romanoff said publicly for the first time Wednesday that a White House deputy discussed three specific jobs that “might be available” if Romanoff dropped a primary challenge to a fellow Democrat, Sen. Michael Bennet.

Colorado

Fuel station is natural (gas) fit

published in: Citizen Telegram on: 06/03/2010 by: Heidi Rice

Already considered a front-runner in the state in the use of clean energy, the city of Rifle will get even greener with the construction of a compressed natural gas (CNG) filling station to help increase the use of natural gas as transportation fuel.

Ritter on oil regs: how you like me now?

published in: Fox 31 on: 05/28/2010 by: Eli Stokols

All is quiet on the western slope, at least on the subject of regulating oil and gas development — but that’s about to change.

Firm delays drilling in western Colo. as officials pursue health study (subscription required)

published in: E&E Land Letter on: 05/27/2010 by: Eryn Gable

A Denver-based energy company has delayed plans to drill more than 200 natural gas wells in a residential area in western Colorado, according to local officials monitoring the proposal.

Montana

Oil spill impact will reach the valley

published in: Grand Forks Herlad on: 05/28/2010 by: Ryan Johnson

The Gulf oil spill might be more than 1,000 miles from the Red River Valley, but experts say people up here will still notice effects from what has become the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

Montana BLM Request for Information

Montana BLM is asking operators for information as part of their NEPA analysis of climate change. They are attempting to get the corrective NEPA done so that suspensions on 2008 leases can be lifted and lease sales can proceed in 2010. Your comments on the validity of this information request are appreciated, as IPAMS has “contributing status” as a result of our intervention in the Montana 2008 lease sales lawsuit. Click here for more information.

New Mexico

N.M. drilling activity doubles in one year (subscription required)

published in: E&E Land Letter on: 05/27/2010 by: April Reese

Despite new rules regulating waste pits, oil drilling in New Mexico has more than doubled this year, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) announced this week.

North Dakota

Dorgan calls absence of a special N.D. legislative session a ‘big mistake’

published in: Grand Forks Herald on: 06/02/2010 by: Patrick Springer

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said Wednesday that it is a “big mistake” not to call a special legislative session to address the significant infrastructure challenges confronting communities in North Dakota’s oil patch.

‘A North Dakotan through and through’

published in: Grand Forks Herald on: 06/01/2010 by: Kevin Bonham

Arthur Link, who served as North Dakota governor for eight years in the 1970s, championing a go-slow approach to energy development in western North Dakota, died Tuesday in Bismarck at age 96.

Western ND oil boom challenges law enforcement

published in: WDAY News on: 05/27/2010 by: Staff

The oil boom in western North Dakota is a challenge for law enforcement. Police say with the flood of new workers from out-of-state, crime is on the rise.

Utah

Fewer Oil Leases Offered In Utah

published in: KUTV Utah on: 05/25/2010 by: Rod Decker

A federal oil lease auction was held Tuesday morning in Utah, but only one parcel was sold. State leaders fear new rules from Washington will doom Utah’s oil industry.

Wyoming

Wyo. set to approve fracking disclosure rules (subscription required)

published in: E&E Land Letter on:06/03/2010 by: Phil Taylor

Wyoming regulators next week are expected to approve tough new rules aimed at tightening state oversight of a controversial oil and gas drilling technique that operators credit for helping open up vast new mineral reserves.

Washington Watch

Salazar may become fall guy in oil spill debacle

published in: Washington Examiner on: 06/03/2010 by: Julie Mason

With the BP oil spill getting worse and government’s oversight of the industry increasingly under scrutiny, calls for the ouster of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar seemed inevitable.

Obama hopes oil spill boosts support for climate bill

published in: Washington Post on: 06/03/2010 by: Steven Mufson and Michael D. Shear

President Obama tried Wednesday to channel public outrage about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill into support for a climate-change bill, seeking to redefine an issue that threatens to tarnish his presidency.

In oil spill shadow, Obama pledges energy bill push

published in: Reuters on: 06/03/2010 by: Alister Bull

President Barack Obama pledged on Wednesday to find support in the Senate for a bill to overhaul U.S. energy policy, using the Gulf of Mexico oil spill to hasten production of cleaner renewable fuels.

Obama Wants to Roll Back Tax Breaks for Oil Companies

published in: New York Times on: 06/02/2010 by: Helene Cooper

President Obama will call Wednesday for rolling back billions of dollars in tax breaks to oil companies, and will vow to push for climate change legislation “in the coming months,” setting the stage for another potentially divisive battle in Congress.

Oil Companies Weigh Strategies to Fend Off Tougher Regulations

published in: New York Times on: 06/02/2010 by: Eric Lichtblau and Jad Mouawad

When the Obama administration imposed new restrictions last week on offshore drilling in the wake of the BP oil spill, officials carved out an exemption that received little public attention: Companies working in shallow waters, unlike deep-sea operators like BP, could again begin drilling for oil and gas.

Interim Director Named for Drilling Agency

published in: New York Times on: 05/28/2010 by: John M. Broder

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Friday named Bob Abbey, director of the department’s Bureau of Land Management, as interim director of the Minerals Management Service, the scandal-ridden agency responsible for oversight of offshore drilling.

Did she resign or was she pushed out?

published in: Politico on: 05/27/2010 by: Scott Wong

Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) got a call Thursday morning from Liz Birnbaum, head of Minerals and Management Services, the agency under fire for its lax oversight of offshore drilling after the BP oil spill. She was set to testify before Moran’s House subcommittee later that morning but said she wasn’t coming.

Media Watch

Editorial: Environmentalists Also To Blame For Exxon Valdez And Gulf Spills

published in: Investors.com on: 06/01/2010 by: Editorial Staff

To save the environment, a senator from Pennsylvania wants to shut off a major source of natural gas. Weren’t the roads to the Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon disasters paved with equally good intentions?

Editorial: Develop energy wisely

published in: InForum on: 05/30/2010 by: Editorial Staff

North Dakota faces an enviable but difficult challenge: how to make responsible use of our oil resources in ways that are consistent with our values and that ensure the long-term well-being of the state.

Editorial: Obama’s Blowout Preventer

published in: Wall Street Journal on: 05/28/2010 by: Editorial Staff

BP and the Coast Guard yesterday were cautiously optimistic that the “top kill” maneuver could stanch the Gulf of Mexico oil leak, and let us hope this is the beginning of the end of the disaster.

Editorial: Don’t back off on fracking disclosure

published in: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel on: 05/27/2010 by: Editorial Staff

A few words for U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, the Denver Democrat, who introduced legislation to require energy companies to disclose the substances they use to fracture tightly compacted sands thousands of feet below the surface.

Environment and Wildlife

Water advocate calls for water-energy alliance

published in: Casper Star-Tribune on: 06/01/2010 by: Dustin Bleizeffer

The oil and natural gas industry in the United States pumps enough groundwater to supply 5 gallons of water for every American every day, according to the American Ground Water Trust.

Feds won’t protect prairie dog

published in: Casper Star-Tribune on: 05/28/2010 by: Staff

The high-altitude cousin of the black-tailed prairie dog has also been denied federal protection. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Thursday that the white-tailed prairie dog does not merit protection under the Endangered Species Act, in part because of the animal’s abundance in Wyoming.

Technology, Alternative & Renewables

A Bullish View of Wind Power Out West

published in: New York Times on: 06/02/2010 by: John Collins Rudolf

Wind energy has plenty going for it: it is clean, unlimited in supply and the most economical source of renewable power. Its clearest drawback is unreliability: sometimes the wind just does not blow.

Wind-energy companies losing to cheap natural gas, lack of subsidies

published in: Denver Post/Bloomberg on: 06/01/2010 by: Christopher Martin

Vestas Wind Systems A/S, Siemens AG and Suzlon Energy Ltd. may end up with underused U.S. factories as cheap natural gas and a lack of federal support reduce wind turbine deliveries this year by as much as 50 percent.

Arizona could become a hotspot for alternative energy, but new plants won’t open without new infrastructure

published in: Arizona Republic on: 05/30/2010 by: Ryan Randazzo

Renewable-energy companies from Florida to Spain have their sights on Arizona, submitting applications for more than 80 solar and wind power plants across the state valued at tens of billions of dollars.

Western states can accommodate 30% wind, 5% solar — NREL (subscription required)

published in: E&E Land Letter on: 05/27/2010 by: Katherine Ling

Wind and solar energy could provide 35 percent of the electricity used for half the Western states by 2017, according to a new federal study.

Markets

With Gulf Disaster, Maybe Time To Look Onshore (subscription required)

published in: Wall Street Journal on: 06/02/2010 by: Isabel Ordonez

Investors are turning their attention to gas reserves onshore in the US as new regulatory risks and uncertainty following the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico plague offshore assets.

Gulf mess spills over to stocks

published in: Associated Press on: 06/02/2010 by: Tim Paradis

Stocks took another late-day dive Tuesday after the government said it was starting criminal and civil investigations into the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

U.S. natural gas production reaches highest level in 30 years

published in: Ft. Worth Star- Telegram on: 06/01/2010 by: Staff

U.S. natural gas production in March rose to the highest level in at least 30 years, led by gains in Texas and Alaska, the Energy Department reported Friday.

Industry News and Events

BP modifies plan to capture oil from leaking well

published in: Reuters on: 06/03/2010 by: Ed Stodard

The latest plan to capture oil belching from a BP well into the Gulf of Mexico will work less well than originally hoped, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday.

DOE Grant Opportunity–Geothermal/Oil, Gas Wells

DOE has announced $20 million in grants for Innovative Geothermal techniques. What is unique about this one is that it targets geothermal “from productive, unproductive, or marginal oil and gas wells”.

Click here for more information.

BENPOSIUM

June 7-10, 2010 in Houston, TX

The most comprehensive natural gas symposium that applies the “fundamentals” perspective to how production, capacity, flow, inventories and demand interact to drive prices, trading opportunities and marketing and investing strategies. The goal of BENPOSIUM is to provide executives, analysts, traders and investors for an in-depth look at the shifting energy market dynamics and how these developments are the reshaping natural gas and power industry landscape. Click here to view the agenda and to register.

Utah: A Model for Clean, Safe Energy Development

June 15th in Salt Lake City, UT

Western Governors’ Association 2010 Annual Meeting

June 27-29, 2010 in Whitefish, MT

The Western Governors’ Association will recognize “100 Years of Common Ground” at this year’s Annual Meeting. Topics will include:

-Sharing a Finite Resource: Challenges and Opportunities in Water Management

-Building New Energy Generation and Transmission

-Working Across Borders to Conserve Landscapes

For more information on the meeting visit the WGA Web site at www.westgov.org.

Content Policy

Materials contained herein are a summary of industry related issues and are for the edification of IPAMS members only. Contents do not reflect official comments or positions of IPAMS. Attribution of Wildcatter Weekly contents for publication without IPAMS consent is prohibited. NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.

Help Stop Harmful Policies That Impact Western Energy Producers

jhaubert — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:57:42 +0000

To help better understand all the potential ramifications on industry, click here to read IPAMS position paper on fee and royalty rate increases.

IPAMS is traveling back to Washington D.C. to discuss the impact of these taxes and fees on small independents. Please consider joining IPAMS June 14-16 for a special legislative trip to meet with Congress about these proposed changes. Please contact IPAMS Director of Government Affairs, Kathleen Sgamma, if you’re willing to help us out. As always, please let me and the IPAMS staff know what else we can do to help independents thrive in the West.

May 27, 2010

jhaubert — Thu, 27 May 2010 21:49:44 +0000

IPAMS Meetings and Announcements

IPAMS Receives North Dakota Grant for WRAP Phase III

IPAMS has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the North Dakota Oil and Gas Research Council of the North Dakota Industrial Commission for the WRAP Phase III air emissions inventory in the Williston Basin. In order to use the funding, IPAMS will need to raise the remaining $70,000 from companies. If you operate in the basin, please contact Kathleen Sgamma to help with the matching funding. Also note that $20,000 will have to be raised for the Montana portion of the basin, which is not covered by the grant.

In other WRAP Phase III news, IPAMS will release the results of the Wind River Basin inventory on June 8th at 10:00 on the WRAP Oil & Gas Working Group call. Call details will be available on the WRAP website. There will also be a presentation by Dana Wood of BP on rural ozone issues in the West. If you missed this excellent presentation when she and Doug Blewitt gave it at IPAMS, this is another opportunity for a very informative briefing. We are at 27% of funding for the Powder River Basin. Work will be restarted on that basin once the full $37,000 funding is in place.

IPAMS Crude Oil Committee Breakfast

June 3, 2010 at 7:30 a.m.

Horizontal drilling is re-defining the oil and natural gas industry. Plays previously deemed uneconomical or too technologically demanding are now accessible, and even profitable. Please join us for a special breakfast on June 3, 2010 beginning at 7:30 a.m. when some of the best from industry present on recent developments in horizontal drilling and completion methodologies.

Speakers include:

Don Purvis, Regional Technology Manager, BJ Services
Mike Eberhard, Technical Manager, Halliburton
Walt Kordziel, Well Services Sales Manager, Schlumberger
Jim Brown, Senior Vice President, Whiting

The event will be held at The Westin Tabor Center with coffee starting at 7:30 a.m. The speakers and breakfast will begin at 8:00 a.m.

The cost of this event for IPAMS members is $30 before May 27, 2010 and $35 thereafter. Consider inviting a friend or colleague to attend. This event is brought to you by IPAMS Crude Oil Committee.

A special thank you to our sponsors:

Breck Energy | BJ Services | El Paso E&P | Gunlikson Petroleum Inc. | Schlumberger

Click here to register.

Fundraiser for Steve Pearce (R-NM)

June 8, 2010 at 7:30 a.m. in Denver

IPAMS PAC is hosting a breakfast for former New Mexico Congressman Steve Pearce on Tuesday, June 8 at 7:30 a.m. at IPAMS (click here to see the invitation.)

Thank you for supporting this important event, and please Jon Bargas if you have any questions.

Utah Basin Advisors Network (UBAN) Meeting with Senior Interior Advisor

June 8th at 10:00 a.m.

Alan Gilbert, Senior Advisor to the Interior Secretary, Southwest and Rocky Mountain Regions will join the UBAN on Tuesday, June 8th at 10:00 to discuss leasing, permitting, NEPA analyses, wilderness, RMPs and other issues in Utah. Due to space constraints, we are asking for RSVPs for this meeting. Teleconferencing will also be available. Please contact Spencer Kimball if you plan to attend in person.

Colorado Basin Advisors Network (CBAN) Meeting featuring Colorado Rare Plants Presentation

June 9th at 10:00 a.m.

This CBAN meeting will feature a presentation regarding a list of recommended Best Management Practices (BMPs) to reduce the impacts of oil and gas development to ‘plants of concern’ in Colorado by representatives of the Colorado Rare Plant Conservation Initiative. The Colorado Rare Plant Conservation Initiative, a partnership of 22 public agencies, private organizations, and academic institutions recently completed these voluntary oil and gas BMPs with funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). The Nature Conservancy and the Colorado Natural Heritage Program are co-leading this effort and have asked IPAMS’ members to provide feedback on the list of BMPs. If you would like to attend this meeting, please RSVP to Spencer Kimball at 303-623-0987, and please be prepared to discuss the list of BMPs (Available here).

Agendas are available for upcoming meetings at http://www.ipams.org/advocacy/. All meetings unless otherwise indicated are Mountain time, and at IPAMS and via teleconference.

IPAMS Upcoming Trip to DC

June 14-16, 2010

IPAMS Annual Meeting and Summer Conference

June 23-25 in Beaver Creek, CO

Registration is open for the IPAMS Annual Meeting and Summer Conference, June 23-25 in Beaver Creek, CO. Join us in this relaxed setting for just the right mix of business and pleasure– discuss topics such as production and transportation, demand growth and western regional competitiveness while networking with fellow IPAMS members. Sponsorship opportunities are available!

Thank you to our current sponsors:

Click here to see the complete agenda and details for the IPAMS Annual Meeting and Summer Conference.

For more information and for sponsorship, contact Becca Ness or 303.623.0987.

IPAMS Says Farewell to Hall of Fame Member Doyle Grogan

Grogan, Doyle T. Known as the ‘Voice in the Wilderness for the Independent Oil & Gas Industry,’ Doyle Thomas Grogan passed away on April 26th, 2010, at the age of 97. A Celebration of Life will be held in Denver, June 9th. For further information contact doyle.grogan@gmail.com. Private Interment will be in Tulsa, OK. Click here to read the full obituary.

IPAMS Membership Update

Colorado

Ritter’s oil and gas rules one year later

published in: Colorado Independent on: 05/25/2010 by: David O. Williams

All was relatively quiet on the Western Slope in terms of oil and gas legislation this past session, perhaps reflecting an overall weariness after more than a year of wrangling over the controversial drilling regulations introduced last spring.

Few oil, gas leases snapped up in auction near Walden

published in: Coloradoan on: 05/23/2010 by: Bobby Magill

There may not be quite as much interest in drilling oil and gas around popular fishing areas in North Park as some environmental and sportsmen’s groups have feared.

Montana

Montana BLM Request for Information

North Dakota

Bakken short horizontal yields generous flow

published in: Oil & Gas Journal on: 05/25/2010 by: Staff

American Oil & Gas Inc., Denver, tested rates of 2,178 b/d of oil and 3.7 MMcfd of natural gas from a 4,051-ft lateral in the Bakken formation at a development well in Dunn County, ND.

North Dakota Petroleum Council Airport Survey

The Petroleum Council is partnering with the Bismarck Airport to improve air service in the region by recruiting expanded flights. As part of that effort, they are looking for additional information from those in the energy industry in the region. This quick five-minute survey will help us as we meet with airlines to discuss future air service opportunities. The last day to complete the survey is tomorrow, Friday, May 28. Click here to take the survey.

Utah

Natural gas sufficient for 100 Utah winters

published in: Deseret News on: 05/20/2010 by: Jasen Lee

Residents of the Beehive State can take comfort in the knowledge that they live in a place that has enough energy to keep them warm for the next hundred Utah winters.

Bogus lease bidder’s trial delayed again

published in: Salt Lake Tribune on: 05/20/2010 by: Derek P. Jensen

The oft-delayed trial of bogus bidder Tim DeChristopher has been postponed again — to Sept. 13. U.S. District Judge Dee Benson had a conflicting court assignment June 21, forcing the four-day jury trial to be rescheduled.

Energy Seminar

June 15th in Salt Lake City

Wyoming

Wyoming Enhanced Oil Recovery Commission to Meet

published in: Univ. Of Wyoming (News Release) on: 05/26/2010 by: Staff

The state’s Enhanced Oil Recovery Commission will meet via an Internet conference at 9 a.m. Monday, June 7.

Residents await water well test

published in: Associated Press on: 05/26/2010 by: Mead Gruver

Residents in a rural central Wyoming community who suspect a drilling technique contaminated their wells can expect to hear from federal officials in July on whether their water might be dangerous to drink, officials said Tuesday.

Economist: Europe debt hurting Wyo. energy prices

published in: Associated Press on: 05/25/2010 by: Bob Moen

The state’s economy will benefit if Greece and other European countries don’t default in their debt crisis and if their government spending is reduced, an economist said Tuesday.

Proposed Wyoming drilling project attracts more than 1,000 comments

published in: Platts on: 05/24/2010 by: Jim Magill

A proposed project that could result in the drilling of up to 838 oil and natural gas wells in a 218,000 acre area in southwestern Wyoming has attracted more than 1,000 comments ranging from concerns over the potential impact on wildlife and air quality to questions over whether government regulators are dragging their feet in approving the project.

Washington Watch

Colo. Lawmaker Withdraws Natural Gas ‘Fracking’ Amendment to Water Bill

published in: E&E News/New York Times on: 05/26/2010 by: Paul Quinlan

Colorado Democrat Diana DeGette withdrew a proposed amendment today from House water legislation that would have expanded regulation of a controversial oil and gas production technique some say has contributed to groundwater pollution.

And Click here to read Energy in Depth’s recap.

EPA battle heats up in Senate

published in: Politico on: 05/26/2010 by: Dianna Heitz

A bipartisan group of senators will move after the Memorial Day recess on a resolution to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation of greenhouse gases.

Energy Industry Seeking Shield From Financial Overhaul Bill (subscription required)

published in: Wall Street Journal on: 05/26/2010 by: Brian Baskin and Mark Peters

As Congress heads into its final round of negotiations on a financial overhaul bill, energy companies are making a push to win exemptions from strict derivatives regulations.

Interior Chief Vows Crackdown on MMS’s ‘Bad Apples’

published in: E&E News/New York Times on: 05/26/2010 by: Noelle Straub

The Interior Department is cracking down on employees who oversee offshore drilling in the wake of an inspector general report showing inspectors took gifts from and had cozy relationships with oil officials, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said today.

Interior Probe Finds Fraternizing, Porn and Drugs at MMS Office in La.

published in: E&E News/New York Times on: 05/25/2010 by: Noelle Straub
Federal officials who oversaw drilling in the Gulf of Mexico accepted gifts from oil companies, viewed pornography at work and even considered themselves part of industry, the Interior Department inspector general says in a new report (pdf).

Categorically Excluding Domestic Energy Production

published in: Institute for Energy Research (Blog) on: 05/25/2010 by: Staff

Recently, the Department of Interior finalized changes to its onshore oil and gas leasing program. These changes are designed to slow down leasing on federal lands.

Congress may quadruple oil tax for cleanups

published in: Associated Press on: 05/25/2010 by: Staff

Responding to the massive BP oil spill, Congress is getting ready to quadrupleto 32 cents a barrel — a tax on oil used to help finance cleanups.

Environmental Groups Call for Salazar’s Resignation

published in: About.com on: 05/25/2010 by: Larry West

The massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that is threatening fragile ecosystems and local economies all along the Gulf Coast could also end up leaving a permanent stain on the career of U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

Interior chief Salazar faces high-stakes test with oil spill

published in: Denver Post on: 05/23/2010 by: Michael Riley

Hours after news broke that the offshore rig Deepwater Horizon was in trouble, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar ordered a team of top aides to the Gulf Coast with instructions to call him hourly with updates from the scene.

Media Watch

Op-ed: Colorado’s New Energy Economy

published in: Forbes on: 05/27/2010 by: Gov. Bill Ritter, Jr.

The recent collision of big-impact events outside of Washington–the Gulf oil spill and Arizona’s immigration law–seems to have confounded those inside the Beltway.

Editorial: Despite public’s anger, BP best to handle spill

published in: Denver Post on: 05/26/2010 by: Editorial Staff

With oily, dead birds washing ashore in Louisiana, patience has understandably evaporated as BP has failed in one attempt after another to cap a gushing oil well fouling the Gulf of Mexico.

Editorial: Of Politics and Oil (subscription required)

published in: Wall Street Journal on: 05/26/2010 by: Editorial Staff

Environmental disasters have a way of separating the politicians from the serious, and that’s certainly true of the Gulf oil spill. It was left this week to Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, who is overseeing the federal response, to express an overdue truth: “The government doesn’t have everything we need to solve this problem.”

Environment and Wildlife

Why care about ‘produced water’?

published in: Casper Star-Tribune on: 05/26/2010 by: Dustin Bleizeffer

National Geographic recently dedicated an entire issue to rapidly diminishing fresh water supplies around the world.

Technology, Alternative & Renewables

Wind project finance is available…but those darned natural gas prices

published in: Power-Gen Worldwide (Blog) on: 05/25/2010 by: David Wagman

The current low cost of natural gas is helping to chill the market for new wind power projects as developers find it more difficult to secure favorable power purchase agreements.

Markets

Shale gas more of a hit in U.S. than Europe

published in: Reuters on: 05/25/2010 by: Alex Lawler

Shale gas, viewed as a game changer in the U.S. natural gas market, is likely to have less of an impact in overcrowded Europe, companies attending the Reuters Global Energy Summit said.

Oil prices continue to tumble as dollar strengthens

published in: Oil & Gas Journal on: 05/25/2010 by: Sam Fletcher

The new July contract for US crude continued to tumble May 21, dropping as low as $69/bbl before closing just above $70/bbl in the New York market.

Industry News and Events

Scientists say more Gulf oil flowing than thought

published in: Associated Press on: 05/27/2010 by: Staff
Scientists studying the blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico now say it’s leaking at least twice as much oil and possibly five times as much as original estimates.

U.S. oil drilling regulator ignored experts’ red flags on environmental risks

published in: Washington Post on: 05/25/2010 by: Juliet Eilperin

The federal agency responsible for regulating U.S. offshore oil drilling repeatedly ignored warnings from government scientists about environmental risks in its push to approve energy exploration activities quickly, according to numerous documents and interviews.

Video: U.S. Chamber’s Harbert discusses new energy security index

published in: E&E TV on: 05/25/2010 by: Monica Trauzzi

As the Senate prepares to debate a climate and energy measure, what impact would the legislation have on the United States’ energy security?

DOE Grant Opportunity–Geothermal/Oil, Gas Wells

Click here for more information.

Institute for Energy Research’s 2nd Annual Houston Luncheon

June 4, 2010 in Houston, TX

The Institute for Energy Research (IER) presents John Stossel, Fox Business Anchor, as their keynote speaker at their 2nd Annual Luncheon.

For additional event and sponsorship questions, contact Nancy Bradley at events@iertx.org or call (713) 591-1732. Click here for more information and registration.

BENPOSIUM

June 7-10, 2010 in Houston, TX

Western Governors’ Association 2010 Annual Meeting

June 27-29, 2010 in Whitefish, MT

The Western Governors’ Association will recognize “100 Years of Common Ground” at this year’s Annual Meeting. Topics will include:

-Sharing a Finite Resource: Challenges and Opportunities in Water Management

-Building New Energy Generation and Transmission

-Working Across Borders to Conserve Landscapes

For more information on the meeting visit the WGA Web site at www.westgov.org.

2nd Annual Front Range Energy Career Expo

September 24, 2010 at Red Rocks Community College

The Front Range Energy Career Expo and Forum (Expo) is designed as an educational event for high school students in the Denver Metro area. The goal of the event is to bring college representatives, energy companies, and students together in one location, to present information about college options and job opportunities to the future generation of leaders that will graduate from high school in the next two years. This year’s event will be co-hosted by High Plains Communications, LLC and Red Rocks Community College.

To sponsor, speak, or host a booth contact Jaime Gardner or (970) 597-0696.

Content Policy

Materials contained herein are a summary of industry related issues and are for the edification of IPAMS members only. Contents do not reflect official comments or positions of IPAMS. Attribution of Wildcatter Weekly contents for publication without IPAMS consent is prohibited. NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.

IPAMS Crude Oil Committee Breakfast: June 3, 2010

jhaubert — Wed, 26 May 2010 19:25:54 +0000

Speakers include:
Don Purvis, Regional Technology Manager, BJ Services
Mike Eberhard, Technical Manager, Halliburton
Walt Kordziel, Well Services Sales Manager, Schlumberger
Jim Brown, Senior Vice President, Whiting

The event will be held at The Westin Tabor Center with coffee starting at 7:30 a.m. The speakers and breakfast will begin at 8:00 a.m.

The cost of this event for IPAMS members is $30 before May 27, 2010 and $35 thereafter. Consider inviting a friend or colleague to attend. This event is brought to you by IPAMS Crude Oil Committee.

Click here to register.

For more information about this event and others, please contact IPAMS Event Coordinator, Becca Ness or 303.623.0987.