American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2019 - 136

would allow for greater capital investment
in the industry. It will remain on the table
for PAW. We are continuing discussions
with legislators and state leadership, and
are very hopeful that sooner rather than
later we can get something across the
finish line that will make a meaningful
difference in attracting new capital to
Wyoming's oil and gas industry."
However, gaining tax relief for
Wyoming's oil and gas industry may be
an uphill climb for the foreseeable future,
Obermueller warns, as coal production
drops and the state becomes increasingly
reliant on oil and gas tax revenue.
"That makes the state of Wyoming all
the more dependent on oil and gas revenue,
and it will be difficult to find a path
forward for tax relief for us, particularly
when there is absolutely no one else that
comes close to helping meet Wyoming's
revenue needs," he worries.
Last year, oil and gas in Wyoming
paid about $1.3 billion in taxes, and
Wyoming's general fund budget is about
$1.5 billion, Obermueller points out.
"You can see that it essentially is oil
and gas or nothing in Wyoming right
now," he reasons. "It's going to be tough
to reduce our slice of the tax pie until the
pie grows, and we don't see that happening
anytime soon."

firm. Named one of TIME magazine's
"30 Under 30 Changing the World" and
National Journal's "25 Most Influential
Women in Washington Under 35," An-

Public Outreach
Meanwhile, PAW continues to benefit
from a communications outreach campaign
revised over the past few years, Ulrich
reports.
"I am pleased to say we have reworked
our website, and we have put a lot of
focus on social media and outreach," he
exudes. "It has gone extremely well. We
have gotten great feedback and are very
happy with what the program looks like.
We are constantly getting content from
operators across the state and others. We
have a robust external communications
program in place and are seeing positive
results."
PAW's 2019 annual meeting gets under
way with a golf tournament at 12:30 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 19, at FE Warren Air Force
Base, according to a preliminary schedule
of events. A trap shooting competition is
set for 3:30 p.m. at the Cheyenne Trap
and Skeet Club.
Annual meeting committee and general
sessions, along with the trade show, will
take place from 8 a.m. through 4:30 p.m.
on Tuesday, Aug. 20. The Chairman's
Dinner will follow at 5:30 with a keynote
presentation by political pollster and
author Kristen Soltis Anderson.
Anderson is a partner and co-founder
of Washington-based Echelon Insights, a
research, analytics and digital intelligence
136 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

derson is considered a leading authority
on millennial attitudes. She will examine
hot-topic trends and how Millennials approach decision making.
❒

PAW Annual Meeting - Cheyenne, Wy.
Monday, Aug. 19

12:30 p.m. Golf Tournament, FE Warren
Air Force Base
Shotgun Start, Four-Ball Scramble
12:30 p.m. Golf and Trap Combo Event,
FE Warren Air Force Base and Cheyenne
Trap and Skeet Club
Nine Holes of Golf at Shotgun Start, FourBall Scramble; 50-Shot Trap Shooting
at 3:30 p.m.
3:30 p.m. Trap Shooting Competition,
Cheyenne Trap and Skeet Club
Loaner Shotguns Available.
6-8 p.m. Welcome Reception, Wyoming
Governor Mark Gordon's Official Residence
Special Guest: Former U.S. Representative
Cynthia Lummis, R-Wy.
Shuttle to and from Little America and
Residence Hotels Will be Provided

Tuesday, Aug. 20

7:30-8:30 a.m. Breakfast, Little America
Hotel
Trade Show Open
8:15-10:30 a.m. Opening General Session
Welcome: Marian Orr, Mayor, City of
Cheyenne
"PAW Year in Review," Pete Obermueller,
President PAW
"A View from the Dias," Drew Perkins,
R-Casper, President Wyoming Senate
"The State of Oil and Gas in Wyoming,"
Randall Luthi, Senior Energy Adviser,
Office of Governor Mark Gordon
10:30-11 a.m. Break
Trade Show Open
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Morning Break-Out
Sessions
"A View from the Capitol," Moderated by
PAW Government Affairs co-Chairman
Megan Degenfelder, with Representative
Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, Chair House
Revenue Committee; Representative Don
Burkhart, R-Rawlins, Vice Chair House
Minerals Committee; Senator Brian Boner, R-Douglas, Chair Select Federal Natural Resources Committee
"When Hoping is Not Enough: What Oil
and Gas Can Do to Build and Retain the
Workforce We Need," Robin Sessions
Cooley, Director, Wyoming Department
of Workforce Services; Robert Hill, PastPresident, Wyoming Association for Career and Technical Education
"Wyoming Has Technical Challenges . . .
Let's Solve Them," Tom Poteet, Vice
President Corporate Development, Mesa
Natural Gas Solutions
12:30-2:30 p.m. Membership Lunch, General
Session and Business Meeting

Welcome, Troy Thompson, Laramie County
Commissioner and President Wyoming
County Commissioners Association
"A View from Washington," U.S. Representative Liz Cheney, R-Wy.
"Moving Wyoming Forward: Startups, Entrepreneurship and Recruitment for a
New Era in Oil and Gas," Jerad Stack,
Director, Wyoming Technology Business
Center; Sarah Fitz-Gerald, Chief Strategy
Officer, Wyoming Business Council
2:30-2:45 p.m. Break
Trade Show Open
2:45-4:45 p.m. Public Lands Committee
Break-Out Session
"Wyoming's Migration Corridor Round
Table," Renny MacKay, Policy Adviser,
Governor Mark Gordon; Angie Bruce,
Habitat Protection Program Supervisor,
Wyoming Game and Fish; Bailey
Schreiber, Natural Resource Counsel,
Wyoming County Commissioners Association
"BLM's Greenhouse Emissions Analysis,"
Merry Gamper, Physical Scientist, Fluid
Minerals Program, BLM Wyoming State
Office
"BLM's Sage Grouse Exceptions Process,"
Travis Bargsten, Physical Scientist, BLM
Wyoming State Office
2:45-4:45 p.m. Exploration and Production
Committee Break-Out Session
"Water Quality and Air Quality," Doug
Benevento, Senior Counselor for Regional
Management and State Affairs, Environmental Protection Agency; Todd Parfitt,
Director, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
"Permitting in Wyoming," Mark Watson,
Supervisor, Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
2:45-4:45 p.m. Transportation and Safety
Committee Break-Out Session
"Infrastructure Challenges in the Powder
River Basin," Jim Willox, Converse County Commission
"Seeking New Markets for Wyoming's
Natural Gas," Andrew Browning, Western
States and Tribal Nations Alliance
2:45-4:45 p.m. Tax Committee Break-Out
Session
"How Big a Hole Is It? Understanding
Wyoming's Budget and Tax Structure,"
Representative Jerry Obermueller, RCasper
"Rulings from the State Board of Equalization and the Impact on Oil and Gas,"
Walter Eggers, Holland and Hart
5:30 p.m. Chairman's Dinner
Keynote Address by Kristen Soltis Anderson

American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2019

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