American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2019 - 22

IndustryDigest
Florida Governor Aims
To Ban Offshore Drilling
TALLAHASSEE, FL.-New
Governor Ron DeSantis signed an
executive order on Jan. 10 directing the
Florida Department of Environmental
Protection to take whatever actions it
can to prevent oil and gas drilling off
the state's coasts.
The proposed ban is contained in
Executive Order 19-12, Achieving
More Now for Florida's Environment,
which contains a variety of initiatives
intended to protect Florida's
environment and water quality. Section
3 directs the DEP to:
· Create the Office of Resilience
and Coastal Protection to help prepare
Florida's coastal communities and
habitats for impacts from sea level rise
by providing funding, technical
assistance and interagency
coordination; and
· "Take necessary actions to
adamantly oppose all offshore oil and
gas activities off every coast in Florida
and hydraulic fracturing in Florida."
In November, 69 percent of Florida
voters approved a constitutional
amendment to prohibit oil and gas drilling
three nautical miles off the state's east
coast and nine nautical miles off its west
coast (AOGR, December 2018, pg. 33).
EO 19-12 also calls for:
· Spending $2.5 billion over the
next four years to restore and protect
Everglades water resources;
· Establishing a task force focused
on reducing the adverse impacts of
blue-green algae blooms;
· Instructing the South Florida
Water Management District to begin the

next phase of the Everglades
Agricultural Area Storage Reservoir
Project design, and to ensure the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers approves the
project according to schedule;
· Creating the Office of
Environmental Accountability and
Transparency to organize and direct
scientific research and analysis to
ensure all agency actions are aligned
with key priorities; and
· Appointing a chief science officer
to coordinate and prioritize scientific data,
research, monitoring and analysis. r

PETE
OBERMUELLER

PAW Picks Obermueller
To Serve As President
CASPER, WY.-Pete Obermueller
has been named the new president of
the Petroleum Association of Wyoming,
replacing Bruce Hinchey.
Before joining PAW, Obermueller, a
Casper native, served as executive
director of the Wyoming County
Commissioners Association since 2013.
Obermueller also has worked as the
legislative director to Representative
Cynthia Lummis, R-Wy., and on the staff
of Representative Barbara Cubin, R-Wy.
He also served as the executive director
of the Congressional Western Caucus, a
Arkansas Independent Producers
& Royalty Owners Association
2019 President Richard Walt (left)
with J. David Reynolds Co. in
Camden, Ar., bestows Past President Mike Callan of Stephens
Production Co. in Fort Smith, Ar.,
with a token of the association's
appreciation for his service. According to AIPRO, Walter Dueease
with XTO Energy in Fort Worth
was elected secretary for 2019.
Elected to the Board of Directors
were Neil Walker, Walker Well Service; Nathan Caldwell, WeiserBrown Operating Co.; Bill Hanna,
Hanna Oil & Gas; Pat Shields,
Shamrock Natural Resources; and
Andy Miller, Southwestern Energy.

22 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

legislative group promoting Western and
rural interests in Washington.
"I took the job of president of the
Petroleum Association of Wyoming for
two primary reasons: I love Wyoming
and I want it people to thrive, and no
industry and no group of people is
better situated to help that happen more
than all of you-the hard-working people
who directly and indirectly ensure
Wyoming continues to provide reliable
energy to the state, nation and world,"
Obermueller says. "I am looking
forward to our mutual task of keeping
responsible energy development a
cornerstone of Wyoming's culture."
According to Obermueller, he and
association leaders are committed to
improving the services the association
provides its members. He adds PAW
will be revising its newsletters and
website, and adding a satellite office in
Cheyenne, Wy., as part of that effort.
A graduate of Concordia University in
Saint Paul, Mn., he holds a master degree
in public policy from the University of
Minnesota. Obermueller and his wife,
Stacy, have two daughters. r

TIPRO: Texas' Output Up,
But Job Numbers Flatten
AUSTIN, TX.-Crude oil production
in Texas totaled an estimated 1.35
billion barrels through November. The
Texas Independent Producers & Royalty
Owners Association says that represents
an increase of 209 million barrels
produced compared with the same time
in 2017. When 2018 statistics are
finalized, TIPRO forecasts, total state
production will hit 1.5 billion barrels for
the year.
Natural gas production increased
slightly, to 7.5 billion cubic feet
produced through November, the
association says, adding that most of the
increased output and related activity
comes from West Texas, with Permian
Basin oil production surging in 2018.
"With lower crude oil prices and
increasing service costs, many operators
understandably are looking at scaling
back spending to stay within cash flow
until market conditions improve," says
Ed Longanecker, TIPRO president.
"Despite numerous operators cutting
capital expenses in 2019, Texas oil and
gas production is expected to rise in the
coming months as additional pipeline

American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2019

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