American Oil and Gas Reporter - March 2019 - 111

Texas Tops In Oil & Gas Employment
AUSTIN, Tx.-Texas led the country in
oil and gas industry employment in 2018
with a total of 352,371 jobs, an increase of
26,706 from 2017, according to the Texas
Independent Producers & Royalty Owners
Association's State of Energy Report.
TIPRO says the fourth edition of its annual report offers a detailed analysis of national and state trends in oil and natural gas
employment, wages and other key economic
factors for 2018. The series was developed
to further quantify and track the economic
impact of domestic oil and natural gas production at the state and national levels.
According to the association's latest
report, the U.S. oil and gas industry employed 880,681 professionals in 2018,
an increase of 45,354 jobs compared with
2017. The industry paid a national annual
wage averaging $112,712 last year, more
than double average private sector wages.
Payrolls in the U.S. oil and gas industry
totaled $99 billion last year, TIPRO says,
an increase of 6 percent from the previous
year. Additionally, total U.S. goods and
services purchased by the oil and gas industry in 2018 exceeded $530 billion.
The report says Texas experienced the
largest increase in industry jobs in 2018,
with Oklahoma (5,266), New Mexico
(3,626), North Dakota (2,808), and Colorado (2,282) rounding out the top five
states for employment growth. Texas oil
and gas employment represented 40 percent of all oil and gas jobs nationwide
last year, TIPRO mentions.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the United States
became the largest global crude oil producer in 2018, officially passing Russia
and Saudi Arabia. TIPRO credits the rollback of unnecessary and overly burdensome regulations at the federal level, and
the pro-business environment in Texas,
with directly contributing to the surge in
oil and gas production and energy jobs.
The report says Texas oil production
totaled a record 1.54 billion barrels last
year, surpassing the previous record of
1.28 billion barrels set in 1973. The
second largest producer of oil in 2018
was North Dakota at 443 MMbbl, followed
by New Mexico (226 MMbbl), Oklahoma
(187 MMbbl), and Alaska (175 MMbbl).
Total natural gas production last year
in Texas was 8.8 trillion cubic feet, the
report continues, compared with 8.0 Tcf
produced in 2017. The second largest
producer of natural gas last year was
Pennsylvania at 6.1 Tcf, followed by
Alaska (3.2 Tcf), Louisiana (2.7 Tcf) and
Oklahoma (2.3 Tcf).

"As the national leader in oil and
natural gas production, Texas is paving
the way for America's energy independence," conveys Governor Greg Abbott.
"From technological advancements resulting in increased oil and natural gas
output to our liquefied natural gas export
facilities, the Lone Star State's energy
economy is firing on all cylinders. As
governor, I will continue to work with
our independent oil and gas producers to
take our economy to even greater heights."
Benefit Citizens
TIPRO says independent oil and gas
producers drive the energy economy, directly benefiting Texas and its residents.
Between 2010 and 2018, it reveals, total
state taxes and royalty payments made
by the Texas oil and gas industry exceeded
$100 billion. These funds have continued
to support all aspects of the state's economy, TIPRO boasts, including schools
and education, infrastructure investment,
water conservation programs and first responders, to name a few.
Additionally, the association mentions,
Texas is home to approximately 2.5
million of the 12.5 million mineral owners
nationwide, and oil and gas royalties generated billions of dollars for Texas families
last year.
"Texas' independent oil and gas producers are essential to our state and
nation," praises Railroad Commission
Chairman Christi Craddick. "I am grateful
for the leadership and tenacity of the
men and women in this industry to fuel
our economy, provide jobs, and pay significant tax revenue for our roads, water
and education infrastructure."
TIPRO Chairman Eugene Garcia, president of Hurd Enterprises in San Antonio,
adds, "The Texas oil and gas industry
has remained a cornerstone of the economy, providing high-paying career opportunities as well as significant taxes
and royalty payments made to state, local
and federal government entities. The favorable business environment, environmental stewardship and science-based
approach to regulatory oversight in Texas
are models for all oil and gas producing
states. TIPRO thanks our state leaders
for their commitment to ensuring that
the Texas oil and natural gas industry remains a vital contributor to our state and
national economy."
Environmental Excellence
From an environmental standpoint,
the State of Energy Report points out,

the U.S. oil and gas industry continues
to advance efforts to reduce energy emissions through innovation, best practices
and voluntary industry programs. Even
as production has continued to increase,
U.S. carbon dioxide emissions are at their
lowest levels in 20 years.
TIPRO attributes these positive energy
emission trends to voluntary actions from
operators, including the investment of
more than $250 billion in greenhouse
gas mitigating technologies by U.S. oil
and natural gas companies over the past
two decades. Increasing use of natural
gas for electricity generation also has resulted in reducing emissions of CO2 and
criteria air pollutants.
"As the leading state advocacy organization representing independent oil and
gas producers and royalty owners in
Texas, TIPRO remains focused on advancing a targeted federal policy agenda
while protecting and strengthening an already robust business and regulatory environment in Texas," says President Ed
Longanecker.
He adds, "Key priorities for TIPRO at
the state level during the 86th Texas Legislature include increased funding for
transportation investment in energy producing areas, workforce development,
property tax reform, and a balanced approach to critical infrastructure needs
that recognizes the dominance of the
mineral estate, existing laws and regulations, and private property rights."
Texas Oil And Gas
Among the highlights of the State of
Energy Report:
· Texas led the nation in oil and gas
jobs with 352,371 people employed in
2018, representing 40 percent of all oil
and gas jobs nationwide.
· Upstream jobs in Texas (228,553)
were more than four times that of Oklahoma (49,717), and seven times the number of upstream jobs in Louisiana
(32,846).
· Texas also led the nation in the
number of oil and gas businesses (11,757),
accounting for 29 percent of all oil and
gas businesses nationwide.
· Oil and gas jobs in Texas paid
annual average wages of $130,706 in
2018, 134 percent more than the average
private sector job in Texas.
· The total payroll for oil and gas in
Texas exceeded $46 billion in 2018, an
increase of 9 percent from 2017.
· Texas was the top oil producing
state in the nation with a record 1.54
MARCH 2019 111

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