The year 2012 is off to a wonderful start. Last month’s Top Hand award banquet, honoring Tim Leach of Concho Resources, was a tremendous
Ben Shepperd
success and I appreciate the strong level of support. This marks the fifth year in a row that the event has sold out. I apologize to those who were not able to get a reservation. The event literally sold out in one week. We are exploring alternative venues for next year to support the growing demand for this event.
The New Mexico legislative session began on Jan. 17 and PBPA lobbyist Mike Miller and I are following the session closely. Industry is facing many of the same issues we have seen over the last several years but the attitude towards industry has improved dramatically with Governor Martinez on the Fourth Floor.
The comment period for the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard closed on January 19th. PBPA submitted comments again which include new scientific information and additional analysis of some of the existing science. I appreciate the efforts of U.S.Fish and Wildlife to allow additional comments. They are working hard to make the best decision possible.
The PBPA Regulatory Practices committee continues to meet monthly and work through some difficult issues. This year we have added a couple of new committees to help us address issues before us. Given the volume of important federal issues we face, we have created a separate committee to specifically address these issues. We have also established a water committee and we have commissioned a study of water use and reuse which we believe will help us all gain a much better understanding about the ways in which we utilize these precious resources.
There are several other committees that will be active this year. Please let me know if you have any interest in helping out. I am always looking for interested folks.