American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2021 - 37

rest of the conference agenda. "
Hopkins admits he is especially interested
in the chairmen's panel at
TIPRO's approaching summer conference.
" Over the years, there have been some
lively disagreements within the association,
and some of that may come out
during the panel, " he chuckles. " We may
see fireworks. "
A Natural Integration
Another way TIPRO serves its members-public
education and outreach-got
a boost earlier this year when the association
began integrating Texans for Natural
Gas (TNG) into the TIPRO platform,
Longanecker observes.
TNG was founded in 2014 as North
Texans for Natural Gas and expanded
statewide in 2017. Since its inception,
TNG has given a voice to those who
support Texas oil and natural gas production,
Longanecker describes. He credits
the group for creating top-notch industry
reports, insightful research and
campaigns that have shaped Texas' energy
conversation, while maintaining a strong
digital presence.
According to Longanecker, the combined
entities will launch the most comprehensive
statewide oil and natural gas
campaign in Texas, offering data, analysis,
grassroots engagement and rapid response
capabilities designed to provide accurate
and timely information about the industry
and its contributions. " We will have many
new tools and resources to tell our story
and defend oil and gas, " he assures.
Hopkins says such advocacy is imperative
to keep anti-industry propaganda
from completely skewing public perceptions.
" We cannot let negative material
overwhelm everybody, " he says.
" If people do a Google search and every
result they see is inaccurate-right or
wrong-pretty soon individuals are going
to believe claims about our industry
and oil and gas. Someone has to provide
better information. "
TNG has attracted more than 470,000
contacts and supporters throughout the
state, Longanecker tallies. " I have seen
the database and the numbers are real, "
he affirms. " We are very excited. These
resources are going to be more important
than ever as we seek to educate people
and counter poorly conceived policies. "
Industry Comeback
Both Hopkins and Longanecker say
they detect clear signs of industry recovery.
" Activity is starting to pick up and jobs
are coming back, " Longanecker reports.
" We saw a net increase of 5,000 upstream
jobs in the first quarter of this year, compared
with the second quarter of 2020.
That is very positive, and most of that
job growth came from the services sector,
which was hit particularly hard. "
" The industry is recovering from last
year's mess, " Hopkins confirms. " There
is optimism, and activity is increasing.
Companies have become more efficient
and now can make money at $60-$65
oil. Before the pandemic, many had
trouble at that level. "
In addition to hard data such as price
metrics and rig and fracturing spread
counts, Longanecker cites other signs the
industry is picking up, including how
quickly members are renewing their
TIPRO memberships. Hopkins also shares
anecdotal indicators the industry has
reached brighter days.
" When I cannot get the testing company
we always use, or I cannot necessarily
get the logging services we need when
we need them, it tells me we have turned
a corner and are headed back up, " he
says. " Also, from my office in Corpus
Christi, I can see all kinds of downstream
infrastructure being built. There are multiyear,
multibillion dollar projects coming
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JUNE 2021 37
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American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2021

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