Rallying for the Cause
When the 56th Annual Meeting of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association convened
Oct. 24-25 in Midland, the stakes were set, the objectives were identified, and the challenge was laid down. Photography by Ali Slaughter
MIDLAND, TEXAS—A packed house greeted the speakers and panelists at the 56th annual meeting of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association on Oct. 25, held here as usual in the Petroleum Club downtown on Wall Street.
The all-day activities of Oct. 25 at the Petroleum Club followed an evening icebreaker event held on the 24th at the Petroleum Museum, also in Midland.
With the recent oil and gas specific legislative and regulatory battles looming on the horizon, this year’s event attracted numerous legislative and public figures, some of whom sat on the Legislative Panel that was one of the morning’s highlights.
The morning of the 25th opened with a 7:30 a.m. Texas- New Mexico Breakfast, which included back-to-back keynotes from, first, Ryan Sitton, Commissioner of the Texas Railroad Commission, and, second, Larry Scott, New Mexico State Representative. Sitton kicked off the proceedings with an incisive analysis not just of the state of the industry but of the particular challenges that success has brought to the Basin.
Overall, the event’s agenda put emphasis on industry issues relating to energy legislative policy and issues affecting Permian Basin operators, with topics ranging from water concerns to infrastructure challenges. The PBPA also facilitated a Texas Legislative panel discussion among Senator Kel Seliger, Senator Dawn Buckingham, Representative Brooks Landgraf, and Representative Dustin Burrows, from the Lubbock area. Representative Tom Craddick, moderated the exchange.
The event marked the installment of Kyle McGraw, executive vice president at Legacy Reserves, as PBPA’s new chairman over the next two-year term, as well as the transition of Clint Walker to the role of immediate past chairman and the conclusion of Danny Campbell’s term in that same role.
The mood was upbeat, enthusiastic, and focused. Members are encouraged to return to the Petroleum Club for regular monthly luncheons that resume in February (usually on the third Thursday of the month) and to reserve their tables for the Top Hand Award banquet, which arrives Jan. 17.
Following a short break, activity resumed in one of the downstairs rooms as an panel discussed issues pertaining to water, which remains a major factor in Basin operations.
The luncheon session brought Association news from PBPA President Ben Shepperd and Chairman Clint Walker, followed by the keynote by industry analyst Colin Fenton. (Watch for a full length feature profile–a personality piece–on Colin Fenton next month in this magazine. The article should include many of his remarks from his insightful luncheon keynote address at this Annual Meeting.)
Fenton’s talk was followed with some association business, conducted from the podium by Chairman Walker and President Shepperd, and that led into the first of the afternoon sessions.
An infrastructure panel on the subject of takeaway capacity (another hot topic) was moderated by Suzie Boyd of Caballo Loco Midstream. Participants were Scott Potter of RBN Energy, Matt Teegarden of Crestwood Midstream, and Corey Prologo of Trafigura.
This panel was followed by the Regulatory Issues panel, which featured two participants: Ethan Lane of the National Cattleman’s Beef Association and Sean Kyle of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
The final panel, and final event, of the day was Industry Operator Chief Executive Panel. New incoming PBPA chairman Kyle McGraw moderated, and the participants were Travis Stice of Diamondback Energy, David Pursell of Apache Corporation, and Stephanie Reed of Parsley Energy.
[Editor’s Note: Space doesn’t allow us to go into more depth here about the content of the various messages, but if you will visit pboilandgasmagazine.com, there you will find additional coverage of some of what transpired during the Oct. 25 sessions.]