American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 213

The Presidential Papers
children of Texas, who earn hundreds of
millions of dollars a year on oil and gas
production on Permanent School Fund
lands. The law is clear: the Railroad
Commission regulates oil and gas in

Texas, not local municipalities," asserts
Patterson.
Through it all, in its 69th year of
service to the oil and gas industry, TIPRO
remains committed to working with gov-

Virginia Oil & Gas
Association
BRENT ARCHER
Director, Business Policy
Columbia Gas of Virginia
Chester, Va.

FROM THE PRESIDENT
For Virginia's natural gas industry,
2014 has been a year filled with challenges
as well as opportunities. Our policymakers
increasingly are becoming aware that
natural gas is no longer "the other fossil
fuel." As a result, discussions-and debates-regarding production, transportation
and delivery of natural gas are occurring
across the commonwealth in communities
and at all levels of government.
Within VOGA's membership, we have
devoted a significant amount of effort in
2014 to developing a forward-looking,
proactive strategy that highlights the industry's significant contributions to job
creation, economic development, tax revenue, and the environmental benefits of
our products.
We decided we would not stand idle
while groups that offer opposition, but
no real solutions in energy policy, attempt
to define our industry through misinformation and fear. As each myth regarding
the alleged impacts of hydraulic fracturing
is debunked, a new scare tactic is concocted. But, as John Adams said, "Facts
are stubborn things," and the facts are on
our side.
In 2014, Virginia's producers, who
have been successfully and safely producing natural gas utilizing hydraulic
fracturing for decades, won an important
victory when an opposition group attempted to influence a local vote in Washington County to curtail production activities. It's interesting to note that many
of the opponents were from areas outside
the county. This victory-a vote in support

of the producers-did not occur by accident.
It required active and strategic engagement
of local officials, education regarding the
local benefits provided by the industry,
and the vocal involvement of employees
who live and work in the affected area.
We also have seen in the past year a
new level of interest among those who
previously paid only nominal attention
to our industry, with an increased understanding of what we have known for the
past several years: that the domestic
natural gas phenomenon is real, it is sustainable, and it represents a fundamental
and long-term shift in the overall national
energy picture. For those of us who have
spent a career in the industry, this truly is
an historic time.
However, while we view the production
boom and its benefits as an incredible
opportunity, industry opponents instead
perceive these advancements as a significant threat that pushes the economic viability of renewable energy further into
the future. Just a few years ago, some of
these groups stood with us, endorsing
natural gas as a "bridge fuel." Unfortunately, those positions changed now that
the "bridge" extends for 100 years or
more. These folks thus far have failed to
grasp the irony that they are opposing
the very industry that has contributed the
most to accomplishing the clean air goals
that they themselves have deemed essential
to achieve.
The natural gas revolution is affecting
Virginia in a number of ways that present
new opportunities for our members and

ernment officials, the general public and
other stakeholders in a bipartisan effort
to fight for continued exploration and
production in the state of Texas and across
the United States.
Ì
consumers. Proposed large-scale interstate
pipeline projects announced in 2014 intended to move natural gas from the Marcellus Shale production fields to growth
markets in Virginia and farther south will
result in billions of dollars in new capital
investment in the commonwealth. They
also will create expanded capacity, and
the potential to bring natural gas service
and economic development to areas of
Virginia where there are capacity constraints, or where infrastructure does not
exist.
As we seek to maximize our visibility
in energy policy discussions at the local
and state levels, VOGA increasingly has
become proactive and assertive in advocating its agenda in its members' communities as well as in the public policy
arena. In the past year, the association's
public relations efforts have continued to
show results, utilizing traditional and
social media, paid advertising, and speaking engagements to promote our message
as well as to respond quickly to misinformation.
We consistently take an active role in
the political process through the expertise
of our lobbying team, and use our political
action program to support those candidates
who understand and support natural gas
issues. In November, we participated in
a wide-ranging discussion of industry
topics with top cabinet officials in Governor Terry McAuliffe's administration.
We also have hosted informational visits
to production sites and other facilities
with administration officials and members
of the general assembly.
Building and maintaining these relationships is an important part of our effort
to strengthen VOGA's reputation as a
credible industry voice. In January, VOGA
will partner with the American Petroleum
Institute to conduct the second annual
seminar on hydraulic fracturing in Richmond for legislators and administration
officials.
With the 2015 session of the Virginia
General Assembly, which begins in January, VOGA anticipates another active
year, both in advancing legislation beneJANUARY 2015 213

American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015

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