American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2016 - 24

the rule before promulgation.
* The Army Corps, which shares
jurisdiction over the CWA, was cut out
of the rule development process.
* The agencies did not consider
alternatives to the rule, and went so far
as to gut the discussion of alternatives
after the office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs said such discussion
was necessary.
* The agencies went to "unusual

and unprecedented lengths" to avoid
complying with the National
Environmental Policy Act, the
Regulatory Flexibility Act, and the
Small Business Regulatory
Enforcement Fairness Act.
* Public comments allegedly were
not fully reviewed and considered
before the final rule was drafted.
* The agencies failed to comply
with various rule-making obligations,

PBIOS Recognizes Honoree Richard Gillham
ODESSA, TX.-Richard Gillham,
Permian Basin roustabout, pumper and
roughneck, and previous president and
chairman of Odessa-based Marks
Crane and Rigging Company, was
recognized for his industry and civic
achievements at the Oct.18 opening
ceremonies of the 2016 Permian Basin
International Oil Show.
PBIOS president Monnie Sparkman
presented the Oil Show Honoree Award
to Gillham, noting that all honorees
named by the PBIOS Board of Directors
were considered for their industry
commitment, and were chosen for their
dedication to the industry as well as
their contributions to their communities.
Sparkman told the audience, "By
these measures, Gillham represents the
'standing tall' theme of the 2016
exhibition," adding that Gillham had
weathered the ups and downs of past
business cycles similar to the one the
industry was beginning to claw itself
out of as the biennial exhibition was
getting under way.
Sparkman noted that Gillham
always had worked hard and stood tall,
and said he simultaneously had

excelled as a community leader, and
served as a role model for his family
and those fortunate to have worked
with him throughout his career.
Gillham graduated from the
University of Arkansas in 1950 with a
civil engineering degree. After college,
he served in the Korean War with an
engineering construction battalion.
Accolades Gillham and his company
earned through the years include the
Specialized Carriers and Rigging
Association's (SCRA) 1968 Outstanding
Hauling Job of the Year Award, the
Odessa Heritage Foundation's 1988
Businessman of the Year Award, and the
SCRA's 1990 Outstanding Rigging Job
of the Year Award.
Among Gillham's roster of civic
recognitions is the Odessa Chamber of
Commerce's 1988 Citizen of the Year
Award, its 2016 Lifetime Achievement
Award, and the Odessa United Way's
2006 Donivan Williams Award.
Gillham is a member of the Ellen Noel
Art Museum, and has been
instrumental in placing more than 20
pieces of major public art in Odessa.
"We are fortunate to have worked the
storied Permian Basin
over so many years,"
Gillham told the PBIOS
crowd. "With the
ingenuity and
perseverance of the hardworking show attendees,
and the vast array of the
latest industry technology
on display, the potential
for conventional and
unconventional production
from the Permian Basin
has me excited, and all of
you should be as well," he
advised.
Gillham concluded his
remarks with advice to
Monnie Sparkman (left), 2016 Permian Basin International enjoy the show and forge
Oil Show president, presents Richard Gillham, the previous
new friendships. "That is
owner of J.H. Marks Trucking Company and the Marks
Crane and Rigging Company, with the 2016 PBIOS Oil Show what I have planned for
the day," he stated. ❒
Honoree plaque.
24 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

including executive orders requiring
consultation with states, local
governments, and tribes.
TIPRO says the committee's report
may be accessed at
http://bit.ly/2eeZN7X.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the
6th Circuit stayed enforcement of the
WOTUS rule in October 2015, pending
legal review (AOGR, November 2015,
pg. 34). ❒

U.S. Records Decreases
In CO2, GHG Emissions
WASHINGTON-A pair of federal
studies say the United States is emitting
fewer carbon dioxide and greenhouse
gases, finding that CO2 emissions for
the first six months of 2016 were the
lowest since 1991.
The U.S. Energy Information
Administration's Short-Term Energy
Outlook says U.S. energy-related CO2
emissions totaled 2.53 billion metric
tons (Bmt) for the first six months of
the year. It attributes the lower levels to
mild weather and changes in fuels used
to generate electricity. The agency
projects annual energy-associated CO2
emissions will total 5.18 Bmt in 2016,
the lowest yearly level since 1992.
In the first six months of 2016, the
United States had the fewest heating
degree days since 1949, which reduced
heating fuels demand, EPA says. Total
primary energy consumption was 2
percent lower than the first half of 2015.
Coal and natural gas consumption
each decreased in 2016 compared with
the first six months of 2015, the report
indicates, adding the decrease was greater
for coal: It decreased 18 percent, while
gas usage dropped 1 percent. EIA points
out those declines more than offset a 1
percent increase in total petroleum
consumption, which rose during that
period as a result of low gasoline prices.
American Petroleum Institute Market
Development Executive Director Marty
Durbin says the report confirms the
benefits of natural gas. "The increased
use of natural gas has reduced carbon
emissions, lowered costs to American
consumers, and increased our nation's
manufacturing competitiveness," he
applauds.
Separately, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's sixth annual
greenhouse gas report indicates
emissions from large domestic
industrial sources, which represent 50
percent of total U.S. GHG emissions,
declined 4.9 percent in 2015 compared
with 2014 levels, and were down 8.2
American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2016

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