The Standard Vol. 4, Issue No. 6

Members, We are down to our last week in the New Mexico legislative session. The last several days will likely be action packed! In Texas, the session is really just starting to ramp up with bills started to be heard in committees. Along with the updates we provide in The PBPA Standard, the best place to hear about the latest in both Texas and New Mexico, and to have any and all questions you have answered, will be at PBPA's Membership Luncheon on Thursday, April 1. We're excited to once again bring you live events and hope you're able to join us. Find out more about the luncheon, our upcoming Spring Swing Golf Tournament, and the following in this version of the The PBPA Standard: PBPA Membership Luncheon - April 1 PBPA 2021 Spring Swing Texas Legislative Update New Mexico Legislative Update NMDOT PBPA Committee Meetings Actions from Congressman Pfluger (TX-11) DOI Forum PumpJack Power: Exploring the Texas Energy System MC PPDC Continuing Education Live from the Stream Regards, Ben Shepperd

Membership Luncheon: April 1, 2021 Sponsored by:

Join us for a PBPA Membership Luncheon on Thursday, April 1, 2021, at the Petroleum Club of Midland. It has been over a year since PBPA was able to host a luncheon for our members. We've been waiting for the right time to provide this service and we are elated to say the time is now! We have a number of topics and issues to update everyone on, including legislative sessions in New Mexico and Texas, and we hope you'll join us. Register by clicking the link below and save your spot now!

Registration

Whether for the golf, the camaraderie, or the PBPA giveaways, make sure you join us on April 12th for PBPA's annual Spring Swing Golf Tournament! See old friends, make new ones and forget about your worries for a day. This year, we'll return to Odessa Country Club for a tournament you won't want to miss. Register or sign up to be a sponsor today!

Registration & Sponsorships

PBPA in Action

Texas Legislative Session On Wednesday, March 10, 2021, 451 bills were filed by Representatives and Senators in the Texas Legislature. As of Thursday, bill-filing-deadline-eve, there are about 5,300 bills that have been filed. It is more than likely that today and tomorrow, hundreds more bills will be filed, and the total for the session could get close to 6,500. It’s about to get very real under the pink dome as we pass the 60-day mark in the session, which lifts the Constitutional prohibition from passing legislation. From the looks of activity in the building yesterday, the legislative train is hitting second gear. As we walked the halls of the Texas Capitol, it was clear that many more bills will be filed, some the priority of members, and others the priority of our colleagues in various other industries. At this point, Members of the Legislature are likely learning about “little bills” that are just “cleanup” and if anything, all those bills just “provide clarity to existing law” which the Chairman of the relevant subject matter committee would have filed, but “they’ve already filed so many bills as part of their legislative agenda” this session. As a note, bills filed this week actually have a better chance of passing than the ones pre-filed, so we are not taking anything for granted.   To that point, the Texas House advised its Members on Wednesday, March 10, that beginning next week, the House would be in Session for four days, from Monday through Thursday—which could indicate the arrival of our first Daily House Calendar for the 87th Regular Session. PBPA will actively support or oppose bills based on the positions of our membership. The pandemic may shift our methods, but they do not alter our goals. We will continue to engage with and update our members as the session moves forward. Continue to look to The PBPA Standard for the latest action reports.   Thank you for all that you do and please don’t hesitate to let us know if there’s anything we can do to be helpful as we navigate the legislative process together.

New Mexico Legislative Update Next week will be the final week of the 1st session of the 58th Legislature in New Mexico, and this week, bills are moving through committees and the House and Senate floors quickly. PBPA is tracking 15 priority pieces of legislation along with dozens of other bills, resolutions and memorials as they work their way through both chambers. Included in those priorities are the following: HB 50 - Private Right of Action for Certain Statutes HB 76 - EIB Permit Denial HB 206 - Utility Affordability & Relief Act HB 98 - Omnibus Tax Bill SB 8 - Local Gov't Air Quality SB 11 - Clean Fuel Standards There have been a number of bills filed this session which are worrisome to our industry and many other businesses throughout New Mexico. Even in this fully virtual session, however, PBPA has been working diligently to provide support for continued oil and gas operations in the Permian Basin. Please let us know of any questions you have regarding the above bills or any others pieces of legislation that have been filed this session. Thank you to all those members who have attended our NM Legislative Committee meetings and helped to advocate for the Permian Basin in Santa Fe this session.

NMDOT At this week's PBPA New Mexico Legislative Committee meeting, we hosted Secretary Michael Sandoval and Director of Business Support Justin Reese of the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT). Along with discussing road projects and funding priorities, Secretary Sandoval shared information on an upcoming online public meeting specifically regarding a U.S. 380 proposed corridor improvement study. NMDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) with host the meeting on Wednesday, March 24, 2021, at 5:30 PM (MST). To register for the meeting, provided through Zoom, please use the following: http://project.bhinc.com/US380_AB, or call 1 (669) 900-6833 and use meeting ID 824 9315 3458. During the meeting, study team representatives will present and provide an update on the study, which includes an engineering and environmental analysis on the corridor’s existing conditions and proposed alternatives. The introduction will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by a presentation at 5:40 p.m. with questions and comments immediately after.     The U.S. 380 project limits run from the eastern Roswell, through Tatum to the New Mexico/Texas State line. For more information, you can visit the Project Website and Interactive Map at: https://bhi.mysocialpinpoint.com/us-380-corridor-study.

Upcoming PBPA Committee Meetings Regulatory Practices Committee - March 16, 2021 Texas Legislative Committee - March 16, 2021 New Mexico Legislative Committee - March 17, 2021 For more information on these committees or to join a committee, please reach out to Stephen at (432) 685-6345 or stephen@pbpa.info.

News to Know

Actions from Congressman Pfluger Introduced His Second Piece of Legislation   Last week, Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) introduced his second piece of legislation, H.R. 125. The bill declares that any policy-making action taken to address climate change at the federal level should be undertaken by the legislative branch, not unilaterally by the executive branch.   Rep. Pfluger provided, "Our Nation does not need more dictator-style executive orders from President Biden. Already, he has unilaterally killed thousands of jobs with his plethora of executive actions. Our district is one of the main reasons a climate emergency is not needed. Thanks to American ingenuity and clean burning natural gas, the United States of America has already reduced CO2 emissions to a 20-year low."   Congressman Pfluger continues to act on behalf of his constituents by opposing executive actions that will increase dependence on foreign energy, increase consumer costs, and disadvantage the United States from adversarial nations such as Russia and China.   Energy Diplomacy Bill Passes Committee   Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) and Rep. Pfluger introduced a bi-partisan pro-energy bill, H.R. 1311, that has passed through the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The bill establishes an Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources within the U.S. State Department and ensures that American energy is a top priority of U.S. foreign policy.   In support of the legislation, Rep. Pfluger stated, "Our nation is blessed with abundance of natural resources and strong innovative spirit that has dramatically re-shaped the global energy landscape and made the United States a world-leading energy producer. This bill will ensure energy security remains at the forefront of the U.S. foreign policy and help promote economic and resource development that will bolster our allies and interests abroad." DOI to hold Forum reviewing Fossil Fuels Program On Tuesday, March 9, 2021, the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) announced that as part of the administration's review of the federal oil and gas program as ordered under Biden's Executive Order on Climate Change, the DOI will be hosting a day-long virtual forum on Thursday, March 25, 2021. The forum is being advertised as including representatives from industry, labor and environmental justice organizations, natural resources advocates, and others. A press release from DOI provided: "The information gathered at the forum, which will be livestreamed, will help inform an interim report from the Department that will be completed in early summer. The report will include initial findings on the state of the federal conventional energy programs, as well as outline next steps and recommendations for the Department and Congress to improve stewardship of public lands and waters, create jobs, and build a just and equitable energy future." At current, links to view the forum have not been made available. Once they are, we will circulate that information with you.

Events in the PB Community

To RSVP, contact Hilary Fornefeld at (512) 201-1053 or hfornefeld@pumpjackpower.com.

Continuing Education for Oil & Gas Professionals The Midland College Professional Development Center (MC PPDC) provides quality training programs designed to keep oil and gas industry professionals current in their areas of expertise by offering the latest updates as well as providing timely and pertinent educational opportunities. Here are the classes coming up in March and April: Mar 16-17 Petra Fundamentals; Greg Hinterlong Mar 18 Right of Way Acquisitions Training; Don Valden Mar 22-25 Petroleum Geology for Non-Geologists; Paul Pause Mar 30-Apr 1 Petroleum Land Basics: Becoming LandWise; Ralph Lea Apr 6 Online Division Order Certificate Program; Alyce Hoge Apr 6 Online Professional Land Management Certificate Program; Alyce HOge Apr 6 The Basics of Crude, Gas & NGL Contracts; Michael Banschbach Apr 7 Advanced Crude, Gas & NGL Contracts; Michael Banschbach Apr 13-14 PHDWin; Celia Houston Apr 19 Unconventional Resource Assessment and Valuation; Mark McLane Apr 20-23 Well Control Drilling Workover; Rick Springer Apr 22 Advanced Structured Query Language (SQL); Mark Edgar Apr 26 Waterflooding: Performance Predictions and Surveillance; Dr. Michael Wiggins Click here for more information on these and other upcoming courses. To register for a course, call (432) 683-2832 or visit the MC PPDC website at https://mcce.midland.edu.

The Texas Water Trade (TWT), is an organization that was created in 2019 “to significantly scale up market-based tools to protect our rivers, bays and springs and to enhance the state’s water resilience.” The TWT is a market driven non-profit that has a focus on supporting local community driven projects that need funding, technical & other support to achieve results for providing “Water for All Texans Today & Tomorrow.” Additional information about TWT and its work can be found at www.texaswatertrade.org. Above is a flyer for a TWT event titled “LIVE FROM THE STREAM - A Virtual Music Event”, to be held on April 30, 2021. The event will showcase popular iconic Texas Musicians that are lending support to the restoration of Fort Stockton’s historically significant Comanche Springs. Under “Newsroom” on the TWT website there are several references to the project that has the support of the City, Reeve County, local groundwater district and many of the irrigators or groundwater right holders. We wanted to bring this event to the attention of all our members, but particularly those who operate in Reeves County.

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