It Takes a Special Type of People

This January will bring the Permian Basin Petroleum Association and its members one of our biggest challenges in our 60-year history. In both Texas and New Mexico, we will begin legislative sessions where preparations are still ongoing as to how members of each Legislature, their staffs, and the public will be able to engage with elected officials and the legislative process.

Additionally, at the federal level, we will start to see the implementation of the political rhetoric that we’ve heard throughout the Presidential election cycle.

While energy voters had their say in electing pro-energy candidates, nationally we are waiting to see what changes a new administration will bring to important areas like federal leases and range-wide plans, as well as any changes to federal regulations like we saw during the Obama Administration, and likely a renewed push in areas like the Endangered Species Act.

Make no mistake, our work to ensure that operators can continue to safely and responsibly drill for natural resources throughout the Permian Basin will matter more than ever.

At this time we are fighting existential attacks on our industry in the public square from those who assault our way of life. They do so to undermine the free market system and to try to disrupt this industry that supplies affordable, abundant, domestic energy. This energy has allowed our nation to thrive since the end of the Second World War.

We have also been working hard to tackle the real and perceived challenges in our industry daily, as well as sharing those successes with our legislators across the state. We have seen huge decreases in emissions as the nation has transitioned to natural gas, even while producing more oil and gas than any other nation in the world.

Further, I trust that the ways that we produce these natural resources are done with more environmental stewardship than anywhere else on the globe.

At the end of the day, our work creates jobs, provides affordable energy, and fuels public health efforts, hospitals, schools, and our military. The men and women of our industry worked tirelessly throughout 2020 to produce vital feedstock for PPE, as well as sanitizing packaging and material. We should be, and are, proud of this work.

The Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico has greatly benefited from a calling to create domestic energy independence. We have seen the greatest opportunities and the greatest challenges, and we have risen to both with the strongest of wills. It takes a special type of people to call the Permian Basin home and we will fight for our communities in the halls and chambers of power in Austin, Santa Fe, and Washington D.C.

Thank you for the privilege of representing you in this fight. We need your support to continue to represent the Permian Basin energy industry and if there are ever specific issues you see as an operator with a state or federal agency, or if you have any permitting questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. Our staff stands ready to assist you in these matters.

Thank you again, and may you and yours have a blessed, healthy, and safe 2021!