American Oil and Gas Reporter - July 2016 - 22

"By partnering with key regional
trade groups in three of the top energy
producing states in the nation, SHALE
INSIGHT 2016 is sure to be the premier
industry conference this year, and will
further enhance the conference's
programming by highlighting the
challenges and opportunities in the
Appalachian Basin, presenting greater
value to attendees," says MSC President
David Spigelmyer. "The SHALE
INSIGHT Conference has been at the
forefront of showcasing emerging
trends, especially related to
technologies and best practices, while
bringing together thought leaders and
top executives, as well as public
officials to discuss and offer impactful
analysis."
In addition to several keynote
presentations, conference hosts say the
event will feature daily educational
sessions exploring various technical and
public affairs topics.
"A number of energy producers as
well as suppliers and vendors across
Appalachia are active in more than one
state, so this combined effort absolutely
adds value for attendees," suggests
WVONGA Executive Director Corky
DeMarco. "We are very eager to
contribute to the conference and look
forward to working alongside our
regional partner trade groups to make
this year's event worthwhile for all
involved."
For information about registration or
sponsorships, visit
www.shaleinsight.com. ❒

22 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

Western Alliance, PAW
Highlight Link Between
Innovation, Preservation
DENVER-Wildlife is benefitting
from the oil and natural gas industry's
technological transformation, concludes
a report by the Western Energy Alliance
and the Petroleum Association of
Wyoming. According to the analysis,
the proliferation of horizontal and
directional drilling, paired with
hydraulic fracturing, has lowered
surface disturbance 70 percent, thereby
significantly shrinking potential impacts
on sage grouse, mule deer, elk,
pronghorn, and other big game habitat.
The report, Gaining Ground:
Industry Innovation Reduces Impacts on
Sage-Grouse and Big Game, documents
that a single horizontal well can take the
place of 8-16 vertical wells, and notes
that as many as 32 directionally drilled
wells can be clustered on one pad.
Horizontal development can be
accomplished with as few as one or two
well pads a square mile, far below the
density that affects big game migration
and sage-grouse mating areas.
"Healthy wildlife populations are a
major part of the culture and economy
of the West. As responsible stewards of
the land, oil and natural gas companies
actively work to protect wildlife," relates
Kathleen Sgamma, vice president of
government and public affairs at the
Alliance. "Companies now are able to
do more with less to minimize impacts
on species and the landscapes they
depend on. Increased use of horizontal

and directional drilling have lowered
surface disturbance significantly.
Wildlife truly is gaining ground."
"Oil and natural gas companies are
committed environmental stewards
within the areas they operate," adds
Esther Wagner, PAW's vice president of
public lands. "Industry plays an
instrumental role in helping to fund and
develop the science that is guiding the
policy in Wyoming to manage big game
migration corridors and to safeguard
valuable wildlife resources for future
generations. Responsible oil and natural
gas development, and robust wildlife
populations can and do coexist."
According to the Alliance, the full
report is available on its website at
www.westernenergyalliance.org. ❒

Pension Beneﬁciaries
Oppose Divestments,
Survey By IPAA Says
WASHINGTON-Nearly two-thirds
of survey respondents who receive
pension payments say they do not
support their funds divesting holdings in
hydrocarbon-energy producers, the
Independent Petroleum Association of
America reports.
When asked if they wanted their
pension fund managers to invest in
ways that focused on maximizing
returns on investments, IPAA says 64
percent of beneficiaries agreed. Support
for this position is even higher from
energy-producing states such as Texas
(86 percent), Pennsylvania (74 percent),
and Colorado (71 percent).
Only 9 percent of respondents
identified oil and gas as an industry from
which they might be comfortable
divesting, IPAA mentions. In Texas, 88
percent said they would actively oppose
divesting from oil and gas companies,
while majorities in Pennsylvania (77
percent), Ohio (71 percent) and New York
(72 percent) registered the same position.
"Arguably, the strangest thing about
the debate over pension-fund divestment
is that no one seems to know or
particularly care what actual pension
beneficiaries think," says Jeff Eshelman,
IPAA senior vice president and director
of the association's Divestmentfacts.com
campaign. "The findings show folks
believe they are entitled to this money,
and they don't want their financial wellbeing to be impacted by activist-led
political stunts."
The IPAA online survey, conducted
by FTI Consulting Inc. in May, talked to
790 individuals. According to the
http://www.westernenergyalliance.org http://www.shaleinsight.com http://www.Divestmentfacts.com http://trinityconsultants.com
American Oil and Gas Reporter - July 2016

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