American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2019 - 136

initiatives would be highway and public
road improvements, increased law enforcement and first responder salaries,
and expanding education and skilledworkforce opportunities.
"While TIPRO's primary focus is policy-oriented from a legislative and regulatory perspective, the organization remains
committed to working with all stakeholders
to support initiatives that will support
growth in the oil and natural gas industry
and state for the benefit of all Texans,"
the association says.
Education And Jobs
In addition to population increases,
TIPRO's analysis examines the next generation of graduates from the Permian
Basin, and considers how they will satisfy
the needs of the industry poised to capitalize
on the region's economic potential. According to the report, in 2017, there were
34,555 graduates in the Texas Permian
Basin region, a number that has increased
2% during the past five years.

Among the Permian Basin Report's
findings, it noted the region had 477,378
millennial residents in 2018, more than
50,000 above the national average for a
region of its size. The Permian Basin's
educational attainment ranking for both
bachelors' (13.9%) and associates' degrees
(6.6%) were below the national averages
(4.7% and 1.4%, respectively).
TIPRO's analysis says jobs increased
7.1 percent from 2013 to 2018, ending at
966,657 employed. As the number of
jobs increased, the association notes, the
labor force participation rate climbed
from 59.3% to 59.4% during those five
years. In January 2014, the region posted
an unemployment rate of 4.88%; five
years later, that dropped to 3.72%.
The top three industries for earnings
in 2018 were utilities ($119,248); mining,
quarrying and oil and gas extraction
($116,707); and management of companies
and enterprises ($102,195). According to
the report, the top three industries in
2018 in the region were education and

hospitals (local government); restaurants
and other eating places; and support activities for oil and natural gas.
In an average month, the report says,
there were 46,665 active job postings for
701 occupations, and 54,532 were hired.
TIPRO says the top five occupations in
the Texas Permian Basin region in 2018
were in office and administrative support
(141,366); sales and related (97,365); food
preparation and serving related (88,415);
transportation and material moving (74,755);
and construction and extraction (71,863).
The three largest industries by employment in the region in 2018 were accommodation and food services (12,029); construction (9,900); and mining, quarrying
and oil and gas extraction (8,273). The
Texas Permian Basin region's mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction sector was
responsible for 21.3% of total gross regional
product in the Texas Permian Basin, contributing $21.94 billion. GRP measures the
final market value of all goods and services
produced in the region.
❒

Tennessee Industry Looks To Future
Editor's Note: The following article
has been provided by the Tennessee Oil
& Gas Association.
GATLINBURG, TN.-Although Gatlinburg was seized by a blackberry winter on
May 13-14, the Tennessee Oil & Gas As-

sociation Convention was the hottest place
to be for those in the state's industry. With
new representation on the Board of Directors, ideas for converting historic data into
new exploration and discussion of innovative
solutions to deal with orphaned wells, the
48th Annual TOGA convention allowed

Gathering to kick off TOGA's 48th Annual Convention are its Board of Directors, front row
from left, Jerry Carr, Secretary-Treasurer Anne Byrd, Bill Ray and President Chuck Laine;
back row from left, Chairman Gary Bible, Larry Leibowitz, Alan Murrell and Jim Washburn.
TOGA held its convention May 13-14, at the Park Vista Hotel in Gatlinburg, Tn.

136 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

attendees to drill down into the opportunities
in Tennessee's oil fields.
Turnout and participation were strong
this year, as attendees, members and directors descended on Gatlinburg. Among
the convention's first actions was to elect
the 2019-2020 Board of Directors, which
includes founding member Anne Byrd
as Secretary-Treasurer and newly elected
member Alan Murrell. Murrell owns and
operates Hornet Corporation, the recipient
of the 2014 Boom Maker of the Year,
and the state's fourth most productive oil
producer in 2018.
"I am honored to join the board of the
Tennessee Oil & Gas Association," Murrell
affirmed. "The potential for Tennessee oil
is tremendous, especially at deep depths.
Through concerted effort and with proper
investment, Tennessee is poised to hit big
oil at just the right time to position ourselves
as a major player in the global market."
Murrell's assertion about Tennessee's
deep oil potential was backed up during
the technical sessions, when University of
Tennessee professor Bob Hatcher spoke
about the state's extensive historical well
log data. According to Hatcher, old seismographic data now can be reinterpreted
with modern software to provide oil explorers
with more in-depth information. Fields on
the western edge of the Cumberland Plateau
offer promise for deep oil that, as of yet,
has not been drilled in Tennessee.
"We know there is oil there," confirmed
TOGA Chairman Gary Bible, president

American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2019

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