American Oil and Gas Reporter - October 2016 - 111

again. He recalls DEC changed its stance
on operators securing temporary abandonment status for wells 18 months ago, after several lawmakers contacted agency officials after IOGA NY initiated a meeting
to enlighten its legislative allies.
Discussions with legislators will come
after DEC and PSC respond to IOGA NY's
invitation to address separate workshops,
Gill says. He adds that PSC was scheduled
to send a representative to IOGA's Oct. 20
annual meeting, and he has asked the
agency to honor that commitment by participating in a half-day workshop. "In the

past, PSC has been reluctant to participate
in industry events, but it is hard for the
agency to say it cannot travel when it already had approval to send a speaker to our
annual meeting at the same time and
venue," he says.
Gill says the IOGA NY Board of Directors decided to cancel the annual convention because of the strained economic circumstances association members
are living under, in part brought on by the
state's regulatory environment.
"We fully understand that our members,
in many cases, need to be in the field or at

the office working, and not spending registration fees to sit in a meeting all day, especially when there are so many industry
meetings taking place. In lieu of this,
IOGA NY is hopeful that its members will,
in turn, choose to support the association
so it can remain a strong voice of industry in New York," he says.
"As far as IOGA NY goes, the positive
spin on this is that the association continues to fight. IOGA NY is talking to DEC
and PSC, and it will bring association
members and regulators to the table,"
Gill says.
❒

CIPA, Companies Invest In Workforce
SACRAMENTO, CA.-In an effort to
ensure the oil and gas industry has a talented workforce for the future, the California Independent Petroleum Association
has been investing in programs to prepare
students for careers in energy through internships and scholarships.
CIPA reports that it and member
companies E&B Natural Resources Management, California Resources Corporation and Linn Energy, as well as the Energy Partners Fund, have funded a first-ofits kind program that places interns in paid
positions to gain work experience and learn
science, technology, engineering and math
(STEM) skills. The association says the interns, who recently graduated from high
schools in California's San Diego and Santa Barbara counties, were housed in dormitories so they also could experience living in a setting akin to college.
The rigorous selection process included an essay submission and letters of recommendation, as well as a panel interview
conducted by CIPA and member company
representatives, the association describes.
Amy Roth, public and government relations director at E&B Natural Resources
Management, cites the timing at which interns enter the program as a distinctive feature. "Typically, summer internships require several years of post-high school education," she observes. "This program is
unique because it provides high school seniors a paid internship immediately following graduation in a field-based position.
This is work experience where they will
develop tangible skills and a practical understanding of how our industry operates."
"When E&B approached the district,
we did not have an internship program and
welcomed being a part of the pilot. The
Cuyama School District is establishing an
energy career pathway, and this program
demonstrates the connection between
what students learn in the classroom and
how it can apply to their future employ-

ment," relates Dr. F. Paul Chounet, superintendent from Santa Barbara County's
Cuyama Joint Unified School District,
which partnered with E&B to advertise the
program and recruit student applicants.
CIPA also points to the efforts of Debra Maxie, a longtime educator and vice
principal at San Diego's Crawford High
School. She organized an introductory
presentation for students and parents
about the industry and assisted students
throughout the hiring process.
"We truly appreciate being a part of this
pilot program. Having no oil or gas production in San Diego made it challenging
to get students excited and interested in
Kern County, Ca., 'sight unseen,'" Maxie related. "Although I understood the value of this opportunity, the mother in me
also knew that initially I would have to
walk alongside my students until they felt
comfortable enough to stretch out on
their own. My strategy worked and I am
so very proud."
According to CIPA, slumping commod-

ity prices and activity did not dissuade the
companies from participating in the pilot
program. E&B also applied for and received grant funding from Energy Partners-a nonprofit focused on STEM education in Santa Barbara County-to assist
with the costs.
All the interns have completed their summer internships, CIPA reports, with students
rotating through a number of tasks such as
changing mechanical parts on pumpjacks
and running premarket crude tests.
Scholarships, Too
In addition to the internship program,
CIPA reports that it and its members also
have awarded scholarships totaling more
than $15,000 for students pursuing energy careers.
In 2015, CIPA notes, it served as the
premier sponsor of the Kern Energy Festival, an educational event designed to
teach the community about all facets of energy. CIPA goes on to explain that the festival also generated revenue to benefit lo-

Pausing for a moment from their
work in the ﬁeld are, from left, Derrick Newsome with E&B Natural
Resources and interns Michelle Caballero from Cuyama, Ca. and
De'Jon Harrison from San Diego.
CIPA says the other companies participating in its paid internship program include California Resources
Corporation and Linn Energy.

OCTOBER 2016 111

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