American Oil and Gas Reporter - October 2017 - 90

ConventionSection: Permian Basin Petroleum Association
issues to talk about. But, people will be
very interested in the other political issues
from this past session and the special
session," he offers.
A series of panel discussions will offer
insights from company executives on
both the exploration and production sector
and the service side, Robertson says.

"The panels will provide some ideas
of where the industry is now. And where
is it going? What are the things to be
cautious about, and things to be optimistic
about? That always is a great way to end
the day, because several years ago it was
'drill, baby, drill,' and we were going to
go as hard as we possibly could," Robert-

son says. "A few years ago, people got
much more cautious, and talked about
how they were going to get back to work
slowly after the bottom of the downturn.
Now that we have had a year of prices
not being great but fairly consistent, it
will be interesting to see what will that
means."
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ESA Endures As A Weighty Concern
MIDLAND-One of the problems associated with a plant or animal under
consideration for listing under the Endangered Species Act is that concerns
over its status are never completely resolved, muses Ben Shepperd, president
of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association. "The PBPA has worked for a decade
on conservation efforts to protect several
species, their habitats and our members'
rights to develop oil and gas resources,"
he says.
"You always will have to do some
kind of conservation effort to help protect
the species or habitat, or there could be
that hammer coming from the federal
government," adds Shepperd. "You don't
achieve a victory and move on. It is a
commitment, almost a lifetime one, of
making sure industry is doing things
right, educating people and letting them
know about the conservation programs
that are out there and why it is important
to be involved in those efforts."
Stephen Robertson, PBPA's executive
vice president, points out that any steps
away from total dedication toward a conservation goal can result in an ESA
listing, which typically proves detrimental
to oil or gas operations. He suggests
looking at the industry's efforts to improve
habitat conditions for the lesser prairie
chicken as one example of how a longrange conservation program often is the
most cost-effective way to stay clear of
listing limitations.
According to the Western Association
of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, its latest
LPC survey shows stable population trends.
The association used aerial surveys to
count the birds in five states, with three
of the four ecoregions home to LPCs
recording significant population increases.
In the Texas/New Mexico region, the bird
count stayed level, the survey indicates
(AOGR, August 2017, pg. 21).
Continuing company commitments are
crucial to a successful LPC conservation
90 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

program, Robertson notes. WAFWA's
rangewide plan calls for incentive-based
landowner programs to maintain and improve LPC habitat, and implementing a
mitigation strategy to reduce threats to
the bird. He says PBPA members generally
are finding success in maintaining that financial commitment to conservation efforts
and are trying constantly to grow the
commitment from others.
However, success can be a problem,
Robertson argues, pointing out some companies are questioning the path forward
on conservation measures after a species
avoids an ESA listing. "It is one of those
things where we are almost a victim of
our own success," he says. "If you keep
the wolf at bay and everyone thinks they
are happy, healthy and safe, people don't
realize you still are leaning against the
door trying to keep it shut, and that you
need someone else to help lean against
the door too."
Shepperd adds, "It is imperative that
industry maintain its conservation commitments, so that the states can continue
to manage the species' habitats and prevents the need for a federal listing."

"Those are the three species that right
now are the focus of most of the attention,"
he describes. "Talking about the mussel,
there have been conservation agreements
published by the State Land Office in
New Mexico, and also through the federal
government, which PBPA was very focused on. The association commented
on those every step of the way, trying to
have meetings with the people drafting
those conservation plans, to express its
concerns throughout the process."
Lately, PBPA's federal regulatory efforts
have concentrated on ESA issues, he
says.
"I guess that is a good thing, because
fortunately it's an area where we have
achieved progress for both property owners
and the local habitat," Robertson adds.
"PBPA traditionally has focused on local
and state issues, but with its proven
success in dealing with possible listings,
it has been more than willing to fight
back against unnecessary listings under
the ESA."
❒

Committee Action
PBPA's Endangered Species Committee
is coordinating the association's efforts
with listing issues, Robertson says. The
association had been holding ad hoc
meetings with member companies during
the past decade to deal with ESA concerns.
As more companies realize that any
species listing is a major concern, he
notes that participation has been ratcheted
up from a wider range of PBPA members
who might not have a background in
ESA regulations.
The Endangered Species Committee
meets on a monthly basis, and Robertson
says it now deals not only with the lesser
prairie chicken but also with the dunes
sagebrush lizard and the Texas hornshell
mussel.

OKLAHOMA CITY-Gulfport Energy
Corporation's EJ Craddock 8-28X21H
well in central Grady County, Ok., produced at a 24-hour initial peak production
rate of 19.7 million cubic feet equivalent
a day, consisting of 55 percent natural
gas, 26 percent oil and 19 percent natural
gas liquids.
Gulfport says the well drilled in the
Oklahoma SCOOP play has a stimulated
lateral length of 7,961 feet. Its 24-hour
initial peak production was composed of
12.9 MMcf/d of natural gas and 857
barrels of oil a day. Based on the composition analysis, Gulfport says the EJ Craddock 8-28X21H is producing 1,171 Btu
gas, yielding 47.0 barrels of NGLs and
resulting in a 16 percent natural gas
shrink.
❒

Gulfport SCOOP Well
Produces 19.7 MMcfe/d

American Oil and Gas Reporter - October 2017

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