American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2018 - 93

sessions.' That is what we are looking at
for this year's convention."
Aslanides describes it as "member
driven with a new focus on committeeestablished issues. There will be a lot of
committee work at the winter meeting."
To this end, Hickman says the breakout
sessions will feature high-level speakers
who will provide attendees with the opportunity for direct conversation and questions. Speaking during these breakout
sessions, he lists, are DOGRM Chief
Simmers; Asim Haque, who chairs the
Ohio PUC; Greg Wrightstone, Author of
Inconvenient Facts; Lee Fuller, executive
vice president of the Independent Petro-

leum Association of America; and David
Dulak with Appalachian natural gas gatherer Eureka Midstream, among others.
General session speakers, Hickman
continues, include the annual DeBrosse
Report, which details Ohio oil and gas
activities; Jerry James with Shale Crescent;
Allen Brooks with PPHB Energy Investment Banking; and Ohio gubernatorial
candidates, Attorney General Mike
DeWine and Lieutenant Governor Mary
Taylor, among others.
He adds that traditional events such
as the President's Reception, Ohio Oil &
Gas Producers Fund Reception, and networking breakfasts will provide attendees

with ample opportunities to interact with
others within the industry.
Finally, Hickman highlights, prior to
the official start of the event, the Ninth
Ohio Oil and Gas Association Hall of
Fame Dinner & Ceremony will be held
the evening of March 7 to honor and
induct a new 13-member class to its
ranks. "This event, established in 1987,
now is held every four years to recognize
and honor those who have made significant
contributions to the industry," he explains.
To learn more about OOGA's winter
meeting, including how to register, log
on to ooga.org.
r

RPSEA Unveils Technology Roadmap
HOUSTON-A study from the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for
America says onshore emerging and developing shale plays is one area of study
in which research and development investments will help the nation's energy
security, employment numbers, and safety
and environmental performance.
RPSEA says its latest technology
roadmap uses its extensive network of
subject matter experts to study the oil
and gas industry challenges best addressed
through R&D investments. Keeping It
Going for the Long Haul-The Easy Stuff
is Gone, a plan outlining the challenges
and research needs of the U.S. oil and
gas industry for the next decade, says
R&D efforts also will improve:
* Technologies to boost safety and
environmental performance;
* Offshore satellite fields; and
* Recovery rates for onshore and offshore reservoirs.
"No one knows what the energy industry
will look like in the next 10 years, but we
do know in order to maintain our leadership
position, the United States must compete
on a global basis, take full advantage of
rapidly evolving technology and address
the variety of challenges we will face,"
says RPSEA President Tom Williams.
RPSEA, working with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy
Technology Laboratory, has successfully
managed more than 170 projects using
$350 million, including cost share. The
group says that research has generated
more than $150 billion in direct economic
value from jobs, royalties and revenue,
and generated an additional $40 million
in environmental damage mitigation. The
technology transfer program saw more
than 5,000 published articles documenting
its results, RPSEA adds.

According to the group, the continuing
involvement of producers and service
companies in planning and executing the
research program facilitates the rapid
transfer and application of new idea and
results. RPSEA adds the emphasis on
safety and environmental sensitivity reflected in Keeping It Going will require
more direct involvement and communications with regulatory agencies and the
environmental community.
"While the United States currently is
a leader in terms of the development of
oil and gas (in particular, the onshore unconventional shale resources), other nations
are beginning to move toward a lowercarbon, sustainable energy mix," Williams
cautions. "While development of these
resources in the United States directly
yields thousands of high-paying domestic
jobs, research efforts funded by RPSEA's
programs are helping to keep U.S. companies and universities in the forefront
of energy technology worldwide."
Planning For the Future
The new technology roadmap identifies
the need for R&D funding that, in most
part, doesn't exist today, RPSEA says.
The group notes a survey of member
companies finds the oil and gas industry
must address several major challenges,
including recovery factors for wells. The
United States has more than 1 million
onshore and offshore wells, in deep and
shallow water as well as in areas of the
Arctic, and the report asserts that all
those areas present significant opportunity
to increase recovery factors.
"The big challenge is how to increase
production from existing wells and known
discoveries in a cost-effective manner
without drilling a number of new wells,"
RPSEA states. "This challenge requires

cooperative efforts from the geoscience,
reservoir engineering, mechanical and
chemical engineering and production fields."
A related challenge is extending the
lives of wells with aging infrastructure
above and below ground beyond their
intended life design, addressing the related
economic, safety and environmental issues,
the report says.
In the offshore sector, RPSEA points
out it is working to address harsh environmental challenges such as operating in the
Arctic and deep water, and managing wells
tapping reservoirs with extreme high pressure and temperature. Its onshore priorities
include realizing efficiency gains through
new technologies that will provide positive
long-term improvements on production,
environmental performance and jobs.
To address those issues involves active
engagements from stakeholders across the
entire community of energy producers, researchers, technology providers, regulators
and environmental groups, the agency says.
"The best efforts of the research community are required to identify challenges
and develop the technology necessary to
safely deliver hydrocarbons from the targeted
resources," the report says. "However, the
knowledge residing with producers and
service companies is crucial in providing
effective direction for the needed research.
Effective technology transfer is essential."
RPSEA says the continuing involvement
of producers and service companies in
planning and executing this research program
will facilitate the rapid transfer and application of new ideas and results, with the
plan's emphasis on safety and environmental
sensitivity requiring more direct involvement
and communication with regulatory agencies
and the environmental community.
"It is not sustainable to compete and
be profitable offshore if new technologies
FEBRUARY 2018 93
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