American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2016 - 106

ConventionSection: Louisiana Oil & Gas Association
shoot itself in the foot and actually lose
dollars because companies will move to
more hospitable states," he cautions.
The association is ahead of the curve
in its mission of educating new legislators,
because most of them have worked with

the association at the local level, Hanks
points out. Just as important as that are
LOGA's public education efforts, he
adds.
"Educating the public about the importance
of the oil and gas industry is acutely crucial

right now, because so many people have
been laid off," Hanks offers. "This is a
constant fear, because we do not know when
this thing will turn. My company does
business in several states, and this definitely
is nationwide."
❒

Members Keep Seeing Value In LOGA
LAFAYETTE, LA.-Despite market
turmoil, political challenges under Democratic Governor-elect John Bel Edwards,
and continued fears about financial conditions, the Louisiana Oil & Gas Association starts the new year with stable membership rolls, reports Chairman Bryan
Hanks
"There have been some instances of
people not being able to participate at
levels they have in the past, but they do
realize the association is more necessary
than ever, particularly with this incoming
gubernatorial administration," says Hanks,
president and chief executive officer of
BETA Land Services LLC in Lafayette.
"LOGA has lost some members, but

it has been able to offset most of those
losses with new members who see the
association's value," he says. "With as
much doom and gloom as you hear,
people still are looking to move into the
state on a limited basis. Many people
looking to buy assets contact LOGA,
and then they decide to join the association."
Don Briggs, LOGA president, says
the association will be putting its qualities
on display at its annual convention, to be
held Jan. 27-29 at the Golden Nugget
Hotel and Casino in Lake Charles, La.
The association will be providing updates
on local, state and federal issues, as well
as market forecasts. Briggs notes the

LOGA Annual Meeting
Lake Charles, La.
Wednesday, Jan. 27
10 a.m. Golf Tournament, Gray Plantation
Golf Club, Lake Charles
4-7 p.m. Registration Open, Grand Foyer,
Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino
5-7 p.m. Welcome Reception, Grand Foyer
and Outdoor Pavilion

Thursday, Jan. 28
7 a.m. Registration Open, Grand Foyer,
Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino
7:45 a.m. Breakfast Session
Governor-elect John Bel Edwards (invited)
9:15 a.m. Break
9:30 a.m. Midmorning Session
John Kennedy, Louisiana State Treasurer
(invited)
Greg Robbins, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, for Memorial Resources Development Corp.
Bernadette Johnson, Managing Partner,
Ponderosa Advisors LLC
11:45 a.m. Keynote Lunch
Speaker: Bill Marko, Managing Director,
Energy Investment Banking Group, Jefferies LLC

1:30 p.m. Afternoon Session
Washington Update: Congressman Charles
Boustany, R-La.; Mark Miller, Chairman,
Independent Petroleum Association of
America
2:30 p.m. Break
2:45 p.m. Mid-Afternoon Session
Secretary, Department of Natural Resources; Commissioner of Conservation;
Secretary of Department of Environmental
Quality
3:35 p.m. Late Afternoon Session
Jeff Landry, Louisiana Attorney General;
Charlie Melancon, Secretary of Department of Wildlife & Fisheries (invited);
Kimberly Robinson, Secretary of Department of Revenue (invited)
4:30 p.m. PAC Annual Meeeting
6:30 p.m. Evening Reception
7 p.m. Dinner
Friday, Jan. 29
7:30 a.m. Breakfast
8:30 a.m. Friday Breakfast Session
Chip Groat and Kai Midboe, The Water
Institute of the Gulf
9:30 a.m. LOGA Board of Directors Meeting

106 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

keynote lunch speaker will be William
Marko, a managing director of Jefferies
LLC in the Energy Investment Banking
Group.
Discussions on Washington events will
be on the agenda, Hanks says, with federal
politics a particular concern for Louisiana
producers, since their congressional delegation has been upended. Senator David
Vitter retired to run for governor, while
Representatives Charles Boustany and
John Fleming gave up their House positions to run for Vitter's vacant seat. Congressional debates about changes to the
federal tax code, such as eliminating the
intangible drilling cost and percentage
depletion deductions also will be part of
the meeting agenda, Hanks says.
The industry's challenging position
makes it easier to display LOGA's value,
Hanks assesses. "Our members are looking
for guidance. A lot of them pick up the
phone and ask if they should be concerned
about this issue, or if their view of a new
law is correct. The state had a rash of
new laws enacted in this past session,"
he says.
Hanks applauds LOGA personnel, including Don Briggs, Vice President Gifford
Briggs and Ben Fournet Broussard, director of marketing and membership development, for doing a good job updating
individuals and companies on local, state
and federal issues. "LOGA wants to check
to see whether it needs to address some
of those issues in the upcoming legislative
session, or tweak the laws that may have
been implemented differently than the
intent," he says.
January Meeting
The association will boast a new venue
for the 2016 annual meeting, Hanks says,
staying in Lake Charles but shifting from
the L'Auberge du Lac Casino Resort,
where it met the past several years, to the
Golden Nugget, built two years ago.
"New governor, new site," Hanks quips.
"Nothing against the L'Auberge. It did a
great job, but everyone likes to test drive

American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2016

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