The Permian Basin Petroleum Association was honored this week to host Texas Speaker of the House Joe Straus as our featured monthly luncheon guest. The PBPA luncheon was preceded by a reception for Speaker Straus in the new offices of Concho Resources. In both events Speaker Straus emphasized the tremendous impact the Permian Basin is having on the state and nation. Technology that has been developed here in the Permian by local
Doug Robison
operators is finding application well beyond the borders of our state. Development of resource play technology is spurring economic activity and growth in oil provinces around the nation to levels that cannot be found elsewhere in our country. Recent experience in working with the Texas legislature confirms that state legislators, regardless as to whether or not they represent oil and gas interests in their home districts, are for the most fully aware of the positive impact our industry has brought to the state of Texas both in terms of revenue and jobs. This sentiment was confirmed by Speaker Straus in his remarks to the PBPA membership on Sept. 13.
During my two-year term as Chairman we have seen a major re-orientation of PBPA issues and have seen efforts move from Austin (state issues) to Washington, D.C. (federal issues). My personal estimation is that upwards of 70 percent of PBPA budget, time, and work is now being spent on challenges and threats originating from federal regulations. In addition to our work fighting federal issues, much of our work in Austin has its origins in state-proposed legislation or regulation that have their genesis in federal initiatives. For example, I personally spent the first six months of 2011 in Austin dealing with air quality issues being proposed by the Texas Council of Environmental Quality and with Railroad Commission sunset legislation pending the Texas legislature. Both of these issues and the corresponding threat posed to our industry were directly related to policies of the federal Environmental Protection Agency. As I have said before, we have a federal government that is aggressive, adversarial, and opportunistic in its efforts to regulate our industry in a manner that can only be described as punitive in nature and without regard to the tremendous economic damage that would be realized in our communities, state, and nation.
As the Permian Basin Petroleum Association has seen a necessary shift in its focus, I will continue to appeal to our local state representatives and state-wide elected officials to become increasingly engaged and proactive in their efforts to protect Texas jobs and Texas industries from misguided federal regulation. The ever-increasing levels of federal regulation no longer accords PBPA or leadership of the state of Texas the luxury of allowing federal issues to be handled by our state representatives in Washington or by national oil and gas associations. We are forced to either engage these issues head on or live with the reality that we will have no recourse but to suffer the consequences.