American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2020 - 68

ConventionSection: Ohio Oil & Gas Association

Updated OOGA Ready For The 2020s
COLUMBUS, OH.-Members of the
Ohio Oil & Gas Association will gather
for their annual meeting, scheduled for
March 4-6 at the Hilton Columbus at
Easton, with an eye on expanding their
group's membership and influence.
The association reports it also has approved a bylaw change and dues restructuring proposal.
"The bylaw changes and the dues restructuring passed with an overwhelming
majority," affirms OOGA Chairman Steven
Downey. "The dues restructuring had to
be approved by the Board of Trustees,
which passed it with a 95% approval.
The bylaw changes had to be approved
by two-thirds of members and passed
with 84% approval."
The change includes a half-cent fee
applied to increments of commodity output, says Downey, vice president of business development and marketing for EnerVest Operating LLC. For producer
members, the updated fees are based on
production volumes, but incorporate minimum and maximum levels, explains
President Matthew Hammond.
"We will see in the first quarter how
the membership responds to that, but I
think all of our members know we need
to have the revenue necessary to provide
value and service," he considers. "We
are confident that we are going to maintain
a strong, unified membership for a singular
energy voice for Ohio."
OOGA leaders predict a positive impact from a rebranding effort last year,
the first such change in 10 years, Hammond recalls, noting that the alteration
is intended to reflect a diverse membership that includes Utica Shale producers and Ohio's traditional conventional operators.
The association's membership rolls
have ridden a roller coaster since the
advent of the Utica Shale play, he reviews.
OOGA topped 3,000 members in 201314, shrank during the industry slump that
followed, but is growing again, with
current numbers exceeding 1,900, Hammond reports. The association hired Brad
Miller as its first full-time membership
director in 2019 to bolster membership
efforts, he says.
Importantly, Downey relates, such ebb
and flow has been no surprise. "We tried
to be frugal with our money because we
knew that membership probably would
68 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

OOGA Annual Meeting
Columbus, Oh.
Wednesday, March 4

Noon-4 p.m. Exhibitor Setup
10 a.m. OGS Fundamentals of Geosteering
Workshop
Register Separately
4-6 p.m. Member Welcome Reception

Thursday, March 5

7:30 a.m. Registration Opens
7:30 a.m. Networking Breakfast
8 a.m. Trade Show Opens
9-10:45 a.m. Morning General Business
Session
10:50 a.m.-Noon Breakout Sessions
1:15-3:15 p.m. Breakout Sessions
3:20-4:30 p.m. Breakout Sessions
4:30-5:30 p.m. PAC Reception
5:30-7:30 p.m. Chairman's Reception

Friday, March 6

9-10:30 a.m. Morning General Business
Session
10:35-11:45 a.m. Breakout Sessions
Noon-1 p.m. Keynote Luncheon

not stay at that same level," he recounts.
"But we are adding new members now."
New Format
Members will gather in Columbus to
learn the latest on technical advancements
and political trends affecting the industry,
Hammond says. The meeting format has
been adjusted to help members select the
sessions they consider most relevant, he
says. "Previously, it leaned more on big
general sessions and we have tried to flip
that script a bit," Hammond says. "In both
general and breakout sessions, we are focusing on driving technical content."
Events planned for Wednesday, March
4, include a chairman's reception in the
evening, which will follow an afternoon
Board of Trustees meeting, he says.
In addition to breakout sessions, speakers for Thursday, March 5, include Dan
Haley, president and chief executive officer
of the Colorado Oil & Gas Association,
who will address COGA's work fending
off ballot initiatives and local challenges,
including Proposition 112, which COGA
insisted would have nixed new development on 94% of private land in Colorado's
top five oil and gas producing counties.
"He has spoken around the country,
and talks about the association making a

compelling case in Colorado, which will
be interesting," Hammond predicts.
The topic is especially pertinent as
OOGA counters talk of renewed ballot
initiatives and local governments enacting
ordinances and regulations to frustrate
industry activity, as well as efforts to
avoid moves by places including Massachusetts, California and Washington to
curb natural gas use.
"I am concerned these types of issues
continue to pop up around the country,"
Downey says. "In Ohio, we have beaten
back ballot initiatives in places such as
Youngstown six times as well as other
municipalities more than 30 times and
we have seen other townships and cities
trying to do the same thing."
So-called community bill of rights initiatives have emerged in various Ohio
cities, Hammond reports. "The industry
has pushed back," he comments. "We have
had a lot of successes. Those have quieted,
but we are always mindful of them."
Another speaker on the schedule for
March 5 includes Jeff Fisher, CEO at
Ascent Resources LLC, a Utica-focused
company with output volumes that place
it at the top among Ohio's producers.
March 6 activities include keynote remarks from Mark Mills, a senior fellow
at the Manhattan Institute and faculty
fellow at Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, where he helps direct an
Institute on Manufacturing Science and
Innovation. He is also a strategic partner
with energy technology venture fund Cottonwood Venture Partners.
Massive Contributions
OOGA members are challenged by
lackluster natural gas prices that beset
companies throughout the Appalachian
Basin, Hammond acknowledges. "We
produce massive quantities of natural
gas, which is great for consumers but
very challenging for producers as we go

Coming In March
The Official Convention Section
for the Texas Independent Producers
& Royalty Owners Association annual convention, March 23-24 in
Dallas.

American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2020

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