American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2015 - 148

ConventionCoverage: Virginia Oil & Gas Association

From left, VOGA President Brent Archer, Range Resources' Jerry Grantham, and Virginia's
Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy Director Butch Lambert gather at the
association's first award ceremony. Archer and Lambert awarded Range Resources the
Operator of the Year Award, which Grantham received on the company's behalf.

achievements by 11 members of the gas
and oil industry.
Range Resources received the Operator
of the Year Award for demonstrating
leadership in the commonwealth's energy
industry. The two presenters cited the
company's growth in 2014 after purchasing 3,000 wells.
"It is an honor and a privilege to work
in the commonwealth of Virginia, providing jobs and clean-burning energy security for the nation," responded Jerry
Grantham, vice president of Range Resources' Southern Appalachia Division.
"But, it is especially humbling for the
men and women who work at Range to
receive this recognition. We take great
pride in environmental and safety best
practices, and we commend the commonwealth for developing this recognition,
which we are confident will help to foster
even greater strides in the responsible
development of Virginia's vast natural
gas reserves."
The association and DMME presented
10 more awards:
* Deel Construction won Service
Provider of the Year for years of continued
commitment to health, safety, service
quality, professionalism and integrity.
* Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
was recognized with the Civic and Environmental Partnership Award for its efforts
on behalf of several gas companies to

reintroduce more than 100 elk in Virginia.
* Virginia Natural Gas and the Norfolk Public School System received the
Community Innovation Award after they
partnered to create the 811 Education
Program, which is designed to teach
fourth graders the importance of underground utility safety and calling before
digging.

* CONSOL Energy and CNX Gas
won the Development and Innovation
Award for developing the Pipeline Integrity Management Program to design,
construct and maintain pipelines.
* The Richlands Fire & Rescue Department received the Safety and Partnership Award for working with CNX
Gas to develop a fire training school in
Richlands, Va.
* Retired educator-turned-volunteer
Mary Quillen received the Excellence in
Education Award for developing an inclassroom program to teach students
about Virginia's energy industries.
* CONSOL Energy won the Community Outreach Award after giving
$200,000 to programs such as schools,
food pantries, libraries and water projects
throughout southwestern Virginia in 2014.
* William Richardson with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management received the Excellence in Safety
Awareness Award because he organized
an event to develop emergency guidelines
for gas and oil facilities.
* Virginia Clean Cities was recognized
with the Innovation Partnership Award
for its efforts to promote the state's natural
gas industry, reduce dependence on foreign
supplies, and educate the public on the
benefits of alternative fuels.
* CONSOL Energy/CNX Gas won
the Safety Award for continuous improvements such as placing new fire suppression systems in motor control centers
over the past 18 months.
❒

VOGA Joins With Pro-Business
Movement In State Legislature
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA.-If the business community wants to survive in the
tumultuous political/economic environment, industries must find common ground
and link arms with one another, probusiness leader Chris Saxman states.
Saxman, the executive director of Virginia FREE (Foundation for Research
and Economic Education), promoted the
pro-business legislative community during
the Virginia Oil & Gas Association's annual conference, June 24-26 at Virginia
Beach's Hilton Garden Inn Oceanfront.
He encouraged VOGA members to participate in Virginia FREE or similar
groups so as to rally support among businesses during the commonwealth's leg-

148 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

islative session.
Saxman said he started in the bottled
water industry, and then moved into politics in 2001. He said the bottled water
industry, much like oil and gas, "has to
turn around its messaging."
"I understand where you are because
I have been there, too," he stated. "You
provide jobs, add revenue, and supply a
relatively inexpensive, but necessary,
product. You are creating a lot of benefits
for Virginia and the nation, and yet you
wonder why so many are against you,
especially when the vast majority of the
world doesn't have this quality of life."
As a businessman turned politician,
Saxman said he had found that if any in-
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