American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2015 - 159

extensions to either come into compliance
or retire. She says the facilities that made
the investments needed to ensure they
would satisfy the MATS requirements,
want to see EPA revise the rule to satisfy
the Supreme Court's objections.
"I think the retirement decisions for
the remaining 25 percent may be more
strongly influenced by other factors," Corman says. "For example, several public
service commissions have begun formal

proceedings to determine how best to
modernize the century-old electricity system. In so doing, they are starting to evaluate how dispatchers may begin to value
attributes such as efficiency, low emissions
(carbon and otherwise), and resilience
when selecting the lowest-cost mix of
generating plants needed to match demand.
Accordingly, there may be a host of
reasons driving decisions to retire plants."
Thomas Pyle, president of the Ameri-

can Energy Alliance, says the Supreme
Court decision was an important step toward reining in the EPA.
"For too long, EPA has ignored the
costs of its regulations, which have become
so large that they not only harm the economy, but also the health and welfare of
American families," he says. "The
Supreme Court made it clear: EPA no
longer can ignore the costs of its reckless
agenda."
❒

NMOGA Offering State, Federal Insights
SANTA FE, N.M.-How companies
are responding to lower oil prices and
the numerous federal issues that impact
everyone associated with the oil and gas
profession will be among the topics highlighted at the New Mexico Oil & Gas
Association's annual meeting, reports
Wally Drangmeister, vice president and
director of communications.
The conference is scheduled for Oct.
4-6 at the Eldorado Hotel in Santa Fe,
where attendees will learn the latest information related to regulatory, legislative
and political issues affecting oil and gas.
"Declining commodity prices and federally driven issues are two of the most
important factors affecting our members,"
Drangmeister asserts. "They have huge
effects on ongoing exploration and development operations in New Mexico."
Bruce Niemeyer, vice president of
Chevron North American upstream, will
touch on these and other issues when he
addresses the convention during the Oct.
5 morning general session. "Chevron has
a large investment in New Mexico,"
Drangmeister observes. "Niemeyer will
discuss the challenges for New Mexico
operations, as well as those in other locations around the country and the world.
"Attendees can learn from Niemeyer
and our other speakers," Drangmeister
continues. "The knowledge they share is
essential for making informed investment
and operating decisions. Attendees will
get high-level assessments of issues, as
well as networking opportunities that
allow them to share even more detailed
information with their peers."
Early arrivals to the convention may
participate in the Halliburton Golf Tournament Saturday, Oct. 3. It is scheduled
for 8:30 a.m. at the Towa Golf Club at
Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino. A
Baker Hughes reception is set for 6 p.m.
that day at La Fonda on the Plaza.
Another round of golf tees off at 8:30
a.m. Sunday for the Schlumberger Golf
Tournament at the Las Campanas Country

Club, Drangmeister notes.
A spouse program, "Cooking Inspired
by Georgia O'Keeffe," begins at 10 a.m.
Sunday at the Santa Fe School of Cooking,
located behind the Eldorado. "A chef
will guide participants through some of
O'Keeffe's recipes," Drangmeister reveals.
"She had a unique perspective on food
and appreciated simple meals that were
in season."
The opening night reception begins at
6 p.m.

Down To Business
Convention attendees will get down
to business after the 7:30 a.m. breakfast
on Monday. The first of three general
sessions gets under way at 9 a.m. when
NMOGA Chairman of the Board Leland
Gould will address the year in review,
Drangmeister says.
Also speaking at this session are
Catherine Reheis-Boyd, president of Western States Petroleum Association; Niemeyer; and Louis Finkel, executive vice president of the American Petroleum Institute.
The noon membership luncheon will
feature Jeff Skiles, co-pilot of U.S. Airways Flight 1549, commonly known as
"The Miracle on the Hudson."
"There are a few landmark cases in
aviation history that changed the way
pilots do their jobs and the way the public
perceives the taken-for-granted ease of
getting on a plane and flying around the
world," Drangmeister remarks. "Skiles
will detail the lessons, training and scenarios that led to this miracle, and will
offer insights about what businesses can
take away from it. He does this with a
great sense of humor and natural storytelling ability."
NMOGA's "industry forum" with New
Mexico state and federal officials gets
under way at 2 p.m. Speakers are State
Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn; Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources Secretary David Martin; Environment De-

partment Secretary Ryan Flynn (invited);
and a representative from the U.S. Bureau
of Land Management.
The second general session is on the
agenda for 3 a.m. when Mark Mathis,
journalist turned energy analyst and filmmaker, will address the convention.
"Mathis digs below the surface of the
negative messages about fossil fuels to
examine what is really going on in his
new documentary, FRACTURED," Drangmeister comments. "He will show us the
shocking and subversive ways anti-energy
activist groups achieve their goals, and
how people who work in the energy
sector are unwittingly helping to spread
negative messages about their industry."
A reception honoring the NMOGA
Board of Directors is set for 6 p.m.

Network Of Contacts
Tuesday opens with a 7 a.m. breakfast,
followed by the 8 a.m. Board of Directors
meeting. The membership meeting starts
at 9 a.m. with elections of 2016 officers
and incoming board members, as well as
presentation and approval of the 2016
budget, Drangmeister announces.
The last general session begins at
10:30 a.m. with Steven Moise, New Mexico state investment officer.
"Our convention agenda illustrates
that attendees can develop their network
of contacts within the industry, and with
regulators and policymakers," Drangmeister observes. "This makes the process
of getting answers to daily and ongoing
questions much easier.
"The conference provides a great way
to stay abreast of the big issues," the
NMOGA vice president continues. "It
provides a way for detailed follow-up
discussions with many talented oil and
gas professionals knowledgeable about
the issues facing our industry. The conference also is a great way to gain exposure
to areas that may not be part of one's
daily job duties, but that have the potential
to impact his area of responsibility."
AUGUST 2015 159

American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2015

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