"Please God, let there be one more oil boom ..."
For those of you too young to remember, which with the age distribution
of the AAPG may be just a handful, this was part of a slogan that
emerged as the oil boom of the 1970s evolved into the oil bust of
the 1980s. The full slogan says "Please God, let there be one
more oil boom. I promise not to p--- it all away next time."
Here we are, in a very nice price environment within the industry.
It is easy to become complacent when all is going well.
However this is when we should make certain we do not squander
this opportunity.
When gasoline is selling for roughly $2 per gallon and predictions
are that it will go to $3 per gallon, we are able to get consumers
to listen when we talk about regulations or overzealous environmentalists
shutting down wells or making it almost impossible to explore for
hydrocarbons.
I recently attended the Rocky Mountain Section Meeting held in
conjunction with COGA in Denver (Randy Ray and his committee did
an excellent job on the meeting). It was interesting to hear the
many conversations that were carried on in the hallways and in the
exhibit hall.
One topic that always seemed to come up is the concern that regulations
were severely hampering the development and drilling of wells.
One of the technical sessions was titled "Resource Pyramid/Resource
Assessment." Several presenters brought up regulations that
were causing problems within the Rocky Mountain area.
One example on how the environmentalists are causing problems
was pointed out in a hallway conversation. They are trying to get
the sage grouse placed on the endangered species list, which will
cause exploration problems in areas of the Rockies. One point to
be noted here is that there is a hunting season for the sage grouse!
This is where the DPA comes in.
Through the Governmental Affairs Committee, we are getting the
views of the geological community out to the politicians and the
media through position papers that state "just the facts ma'am,"
as Sergeant Joe Friday would say.
Concerns that can be addressed in forthcoming position papers
would be issues such as pricing. Milk costs roughly two times the
amount per gallon as gasoline, and a good milk cow rejuvenates her
milk supply in less than 24 hours. The last papers I read on hydrocarbon
generation discussed how it took a little longer with oil!
Why is it important to get information out on pricing? Remember
the late 1970s when we learned about the WINDFALL PROFITS TAX? Where
were the tax breaks for the WINDFALL LOSSES in the mid-1980s?
The world is a hydrocarbon economy. We affect everyone's daily
lives, not just at the pumps, but at the workplace and home. The
oil industry is an easy target for blame when prices go up and economies
stall.
How many AAPG members have read some of the final reports about
the Valdez oil spill? You will not see the environmentalists talking
about the areas that have taken the longest to recover. These are
areas where the cleanup crews were forced to steam clean the vicinity
to dispose of every last drop of oil. Apparently, the hot water
killed some of the microorganisms at the bottom of the food chain,
thus disrupting the entire food chain. More remote areas where steam
cleaning could not be used have recovered at a faster pace.
The DPA is trying to protect our right to earn a living in this
industry. We need your help. AAPG has about 30,000 members and only
10 percent belong to the DPA. Join the DPA now!!!
If you don't think the environmentalists and their lobbyists are
a danger to your chosen career, just read the paper and talk to
the farmers and ranchers. The government is telling them what they
can and cannot do with their own property! Even movie star Bruce
Willis recently found out how "Die Hard" the government
can be when he was fined $21,000 for doing work on his property
in Idaho.
The slogan for AAPG members should be "God, let there be
one more oil boom. I promise to join the DPA this time." Go
online to dpa.aapg.org and download.