American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2016 - 113

liver natural gas across the commonwealth,
as well as those companies providing essential support functions."
Convention Presentations
Change and growth constituted key
topics at VOGA's annual meeting. This
year's event spotlighted a variety of topics
and discussions including current production and infrastructure projects.
Rick Cooper from the Virginia Division
of Gas & Oil opened the technical session,
announcing Virginia has 6,117 producing
wells. Moreover, he said, although 2015
saw drilling decline, 2016 is seeing an
increase in permit applications in Southwest Virginia, which suggests an upswing
for production in the future.
Other speakers included VOGA's
newest producer, EnerVest Operating
LLC. The speaker was former VOGA
President Jim McKinney, who has returned
to Virginia after several years of working
in other states.
Susan W. Ginsberg, vice president of
crude oil and natural gas regulatory affairs
for the Independent Petroleum Association
of America, updated VOGA on regulatory
challenges facing America's independent
producers.
Other topics included advancements

EnerVest's Ian Landon pauses after being
named VOGA president. He has served
on VOGA's Board of Directors for almost
a decade and has held multiple leadership positions.

in compressed natural gas and well completions. Miles Morin, new director of
the Virginia Petroleum Council, an affiliate
of the American Petroleum Institute, discussed how energy and our way of life
are distinctly connected and improved
through the use of natural gas.
Meanwhile, with two major pipeline
projects in the works in the Virginia, infrastructure was a big topic throughout the

annual meeting. Bruce McKay of Dominion
Resources spoke on the topic as the final
presentation of the technical session.
Events concluded at the annual banquet
with special guest speaker, Ed Gillespie,
political strategist and candidate for Virginia governor.
Two special awards were given during
VOGA's annual banquet when Ed Rothman received a service award for his 25
years of coordinating the annual meeting
technical program, and Brent Archer received the Don Hall Award for Outstanding
Service to VOGA.
"I especially want to express my gratitude for your recognition as a recipient
of the Don Hall Award," Archer said.
"The plaque will be displayed proudly
on my office wall, and it is an honor to
be associated with one of the founders of
VOGA, a humble man who worked hard
for this organization and represented it well."
Archer ended the meeting by introducing
new VOGA President Ian Landon.
"I am excited to be able to step into
the footsteps of the great leaders who
have held this position previously," Landon
said. "These are challenging times, but
together our association will continue to
meet these challenges."
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