American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2015 - 20

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IndustryDigest
ongoing efforts on important public
policy issues."
The organizations state that, under
the agreement, ANGA's mission to
promote natural gas will be handled by a
new market development group at API,
which ANGA President Marty Durbin
will lead. ANGA members who are not
already members of API will become
full members, the association notes.
"Marty will be essential to our
combined efforts to advance natural gas
market development," Gerard remarks.
"And we welcome ANGA members to
participate in API's industrywide
activities."
API and ANGA say they have
collaborated extensively to highlight
environmental, job creation, energy
security and consumer benefits from
abundant and affordable natural gas
supplies.
"ANGA was founded in 2009 at the
beginning of the shale energy revolution,
and its members were visionary
regarding the benefits natural gas would
bring to our energy supply and our
economy," reflects Durbin. "Combining
these two associations continues that
vision by recognizing how best to
organize for maximum effect.
"I look forward to combining forces
to drive even greater utilization of
abundant, clean burning and affordable
natural gas," he concludes. ❒

TIPRO Celebrates Top
Oil, Gas Professionals

AUSTIN, TX.-The Texas
Independent Producers & Royalty
Owners Association honored nearly 60
finalists in its fourth annual Texas Top
Producers awards program. TIPRO adds
Texas Monthly magazine is its partner
in the program honoring the state's best
chief executive officers, landmen,
geoscientists and engineers.
In addition to honoring the oil and
gas professionals, TIPRO says the
Texas Top Producers program seeks to
build awareness of the industry's
economic contributions.
Other supporting organizations for
the awards program include the
American Association of Professional
Landmen and the American Association
of Petroleum Geologists.
The association says after it collects
nominations through its website, an
20 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

awards committee composed of past
award recipients and distinguished
TIPRO members select the top 15 finalists
and ultimately the winner in each
category.
Recipients of the 2015 Texas Top
Producers awards are:
* Best CEOs: John Christmann IV,
Apache Corp.; Thomas Meneley,
Plantation Petroleum Corp.; Berry
Mullennix, Panther Energy Company II;
William Thomas, EOG Resources; and
Barry Winstead, Forge Energy;
* Best Landmen: Steve Creger,
Swift Energy; Kevin Kickerson, Orange
Energy Corp.; Jeanine Haller Piskurich,
BP America; Elizabeth Moses,
Diamondback Energy; and Jill
Weathers, Pioneer Natural Resources;
* Best Engineers: Kurt Butler,
Sabine Oil & Gas; Danny Kellum,
Pioneer Natural Resources; Dave Kyte,
EnerVest Operating Co.; Joe
Niederhofer, Energen Resources; and
Jeff Shyer, Laredo Energy; and
* Best Geoscientists: Harry Balling,
Hurd Enterprises; Jeff Bryden, Fasken
Oil & Ranch; Allen Donaldson,
Newfield Exploration; Mark Elliott,
Laredo Petroleum; and Mark Mathisen,
Viking GeoScience Ltd.
"The Texas oil and gas industry
remains the foundation of our economy,
despite current market conditions," says
TIPRO President Ed Longanecker. "Our
sector supports 40 percent of the Texas
economy and directly employs more than
400,000 Texans. Joined by our partners,
TIPRO is proud to recognize and
celebrate the innovations, discoveries and
achievements of the Texas Top
Producers, which have allowed the
United States to rank as one of the largest
producers of oil and natural gas in the
world." ❒

Voters Recognize Value
Of Pro-Energy Policies

WASHINGTON-Less than a year
from the 2016 election, 71 percent of
voters polled say they are more likely to
vote for a candidate who supports
additional oil and natural gas
production. In October, Harris Poll
conducted a telephone poll on the
American Petroleum Institute's behalf.
API reports 64 percent of Democrats
and 85 percent of Republicans
responded they likely would support a

candidate who supported oil and gas.
"Pro-energy policies are a clear
winner because registered voters from
both parties recognize its key role in job
creation and economic growth," API
President and Chief Executive Officer
Jack Gerard states. "Voters say they
support candidates who stand behind
pro-development, all-of-the-above
energy policies. Our poll's results
provide a lesson for candidates running
in 2016: pro-energy policies win."
Of the 2,801 respondents, API says
79 percent say they either strongly or
somewhat support increased domestic
production, while 17 percent oppose it,
and 5 percent are undecided.
The institute adds that 86 percent of
those polled recognize that increased
domestic oil and natural gas production
could lead to more jobs. Additionally,
84 percent recognize it could stimulate
the nation's economy.
API lists the poll's full results at
www.api.org/news-and-media/news.
According to the institute, other notable
results include:
* 85 percent of respondents say
increased access to oil and natural gas
resources could strengthen America's
energy security, and 78 percent think it
could help lower consumer energy
costs.
* Of the registered voters polled, 80
percent support developing the
country's energy infrastructure. Twelve
percent oppose, and 9 percent are
undecided.
* On exports, 61 percent support
exporting natural gas and oil to assist
America's allies.
"Through our Vote4Energy
education and advocacy effort, API is
encouraging a comprehensive
conversation about our energy future by
engaging voters, policymakers and our
network of 35 million grass-roots
activists," Gerard comments. "The
electoral decisions we make in 2016
will be fundamental to the trajectory of
our nation's energy, economic and
national security future.
"Future generations are looking to us
to get our nation's energy policy right,"
he continues. "They are counting on us
to leave them a country that is secondto-none in energy production, security
and economic prosperity."
API says the demographics of those
polled include:
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