American Oil and Gas Reporter - November 2022 - 73

IssuesUpdate: New Mexico Oil & Gas Association
NMOGA Maintains Its Stride
Amid Transitional Period
By Del Torkelson
SANTA FE, N.M.-In professional sports,
success tends to come in cycles, and the
challenges of building and maintaining a
top-tier roster make dynasties few and far
between. Many fans celebrate their favorite
team's championship only to endure a
swift decline in a season or two.
If it were a sports franchise, the New
Mexico Oil & Gas Association would
appear to be executing the rare achievement
of beginning a new era without a
slide in the standings.
According to Doug Ackerman, who
became NMOGA president and chief executive
officer early this year, the association's
leadership and staff have spent the
last few months updating the 94-year-old
group's foundational documents and plan.
" Our revised mission is to enable the responsible
development of secure, reliable
and cleaner energy to improve the lives
and communities of all New Mexicans, "
he reflects. " To do this, we are going to
focus on influencing public policy; advocating,
educating and communicating our
story; and building alliances. "
Speaking a couple weeks after NMOGA's
2022 Annual Convention, held Oct.
2-4 in Santa Fe, Ackerman indicated that
some association personnel were following
the successful event by conveying NMOGA's
message throughout the state. " In
the coming weeks, we will be finalizing
budgets and hitting the road to start gathering
and telling our industry's story, " he
reported. " From the environmental to the
human aspects, we have a lot to be proud
of and we are going to own that. "
During the convention, outgoing NMOGA
Chairman Jeff Wilson, president of
government affairs for Devon Energy in
Oklahoma City, urged New Mexicans
working in oil and gas to hold their heads
high. " I am proud of you and the work
you do for this magnificent industry, "
Wilson affirmed. " It has provided a lifeblood
in New Mexico's economy that can't be
replicated. Whether it's dollars flowing
into the education budget or industry
workers spending their hard-earned tax
dollars in our local retail stores, we are the
backbone of New Mexico's economy. "
" Whether it's dollars flowing into the
education budget or industry workers
spending their hard-earned tax dollars in our
local retail stores, we are the backbone of New
Mexico's economy. "
-Jeff Wilson
Outgoing NMOGA Chairman
Shaping The Narrative
As he considers what life is like in the
New Mexico oil and gas industry during
autumn 2022, Ackerman notes that NMOGA
members' businesses have felt reverberations
from events that hit both close to
home as well as on the other side of the
world. In response, he says, they have kept
their noses to the proverbial grindstone.
" The words that come to mind are
dedicated and resilient, " Ackerman characterizes.
" Over the last few years, we
have had oil prices go negative during
the pandemic, war in the Ukraine, ongoing
lease and other regulatory challenges,
supply chain slowdowns, labor shortages-seven
straight quarters of increasing
costs in the field according to the Federal
Reserve Bank of Dallas-the fact that the
industry has not only weathered these issues,
but continues to do so while increasing
production and maintaining
American energy security shows definite
resilience and dedication. "
Unfortunately, he considers, merely
doing the yeoman's work of supplying
Participating in an industry panel discussion at NMOGA's 2022 Annual Convention are,
from left, NMOGA President and CEO Doug Ackerman, IPANM Executive Director Jim Winchester,
PBPA Executive Vice President Stephen Robertson, Petroleum Alliance of
Oklahoma President Brook Simmons, COGA President and CEO Dan Haley and PAW
President Pete Obermueller. The discussion centered on the industry's direction and how
to overcome challenges while providing cleaner, safer energy.
NOVEMBER 2022 73

American Oil and Gas Reporter - November 2022

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