American Oil and Gas Reporter - September 2015 - 156

Pausing before KIOGA's membership luncheon on the second day of its 2015 annual
meeting, Aug. 2-4 in Wichita, are from left, outgoing KIOGA Chairman Tim Scheck, global
energy analyst Kent Moors and KIOGA President Edward Cross. During his remarks,
Moors described the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries' production strategy
as a "dry run or dress rehearsal" for a future in which other countries would endeavor to
develop their own shale resources.

security always has been a linchpin to a
strong economy and national security."
For instance, West observed, energy
is the centerpiece of a new economic
agreement between Russia and China,
and Russia's status as Europe's chief
supplier of natural gas gives that country
leverage. Energy's central role in world
affairs also is evident in July's Iranian
sanctions agreement, he continued.
But while Iranian oil seems to be on
its way into the world market, restrictions
on U.S. crude oil exports block the same
sort of access for this country's producers,
West observed. "We are doing everything
to prevent our own oil and gas industry
from growing," he described. "We should
be producing, consuming and exporting
these resources to truly make ourselves
energy independent, and also to undermine
our country's enemies. There is a dedicated
effort to undermine our energy security,
and it seems this administration's objective
is to affect our energy security adversely."
❒

NMOGA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FROM PAGE 123

on Energy New Mexico, a platform that
allows him to discuss New Mexico energy
issues with policymakers and community
and business leaders. He also uses the
show as a platform to encourage listeners
to read books such as Alex Epstein's
The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels and
Robert Bryce's Power Hungry.
"Those books present a very systematic
case for what is at stake from a human
point of view, not only in the United
States, but across the world," Drangmeister
relates.
Through its social media, NMOGA is
working to expand its base, he details.
"We are telling our story and, during the
last several months, have started ramping
that up," Drangmeister describes. "I think
that will be a bigger part of our ongoing
efforts because we are seeing benefits.
Our Facebook 'likes' are at 2,500. I wish
it was 10,000, but we do know those are
highly targeted folks who are very interested in the industry."
Among people without any direct connection to the industry, Gould estimates
the dominant attitudes about oil and gas
activity divide into three roughly equal
segments in which one-third of the populace opposes the industry no matter
what, another third is strongly supportive,
and another third is mostly indifferent.
"It seems to match the overall political
mood of the country," he considers.
Part of the goal, Drangmeister indicates,
is attracting the attention of more people
whose attitudes toward oil and gas are

fairly neutral. "We are redoubling our
efforts to target certain constituencies,"
he affirms. "Many people need a reason
to care about oil and gas, and we are
trying to get a pretty large segment of
the population to care more."
"Everything is hyper-politicized, including energy," Drangmeister adds.
"Without a really good understanding of
a policy's consequences, a pretty large
segment of the population finds it very
easy to dismiss oil and gas and coal as
dirty fuels that we don't need. As we do
outreach in a more detailed setting, we
find people think renewables-particularly
wind and solar-account for an extraordinarily large proportion of the energy mix,
when the reality is they make up a miniscule percentage. It makes a big difference
in peoples' outlook when they learn that."
Turning The Tide
New Mexico is hardly the only place
in which local authorities are attempting
to regulate or forbid oil and gas activities.
Henke points to New York where Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration
has banned high-volume hydraulic fracturing. "I would not say New Mexico is
ground zero in all this, but we are very
concerned," he relates. "Untruthful messaging from industry opponents influences
the public, which prompts government
officials to enact these ordinances."
Once industry opponents' message takes
hold in a community, Gould allows, it is
difficult to uproot. "Unfortunately, the areas

156 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

in which local issues have been a problem
have a large number of industry critics that
oppose development and aren't swayed by
economic development, employment, or
technical information," he says. "To this
point, these counties receive the benefits of
the oil and gas industry in other parts of the
state without suffering any costs from their
anti-industry positions."
Henke cites some example of progress
throughout the country, such as Oklahoma
and Texas passing laws that limit local
authorities' ability to regulate oil and
gas. Other hopeful signs he cites include
the legal defeat of Mora County's ban.
Gould suggests it is possible the tide
could be turning in the industry's favor.
"We hope so. It certainly is turning around
the country, and we hope New Mexico
will follow suit," he reflects.

Legal Battle
Fortunately, Gould notes, even if antidevelopment groups can get away with
certain approaches in the court of public
opinion, a court of law requires more
substance.
A judge in U.S. District Court for the
District of New Mexico in Albuquerque
held a late July hearing on a lawsuit
brought by groups that included WildEarth
Guardians and the Natural Resources Defense Council that, media reports say,
could halt all drilling in Northwest New
Mexico's Mancos Shale. Press accounts
say the plaintiffs allege obsolescence regarding a 12-year-old resource management

American Oil and Gas Reporter - September 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Oil and Gas Reporter - September 2015