2018iogawvjulynews

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NEWS

July 2018

Four Elected to IOGAWV Board of Directors Four members of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia, Inc., have been elected to fill four three-year terms on the Association’s board of directors.

The elected board members are: Jon Farmer, Arsenal Resources; Jeff Isner, Pillar Energy, LLC; Bob Radabaugh, S & R Gas Ventures, Ltd.; and Ben Sullivan, Greylock Energy.

Jon Farmer is President and CEO of Arsenal Resources. Farmer has been with Arsenal Resources since its formation in 2011 as one of

the six original founders.

Initially serving as the Vice President of Land and Chief Operating Officer, he has over 20 years of oil and gas experience, spending his entire career in the Appalachian Basin. He previously served on the Charleston Montessori School Board of Directors and remains

active in the community, chairing the Harrison County Heart Walk the last two years. He is engaged in various philanthropic activities, including Variety the Children’s Charity. Farmer earned a BA in Political Science, a law degree, and has completed the Advanced Management program at Harvard University. Originally from Marmet, in Kanawha County, he enjoys WVU football games with his wife, Wendi, and their three children, Emma, Brendon and Darcy.

New Board Continued on page 16

STEM Teacher Workshop a Success in June

The Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia (IOGAWV) hosted its inaugural Science Teacher Education Workshop June 19 and 20, which was attended by more than 40 science teachers from across the state, as shown below.

The goal of the workshop, held at the Embassy Suites, was to help

foster STEM and energy education by connecting science teachers to the energy industry.

“I am incredibly happy this event came to fruition this year,” Jeff Isner, CEO of Pillar Energy and an IOGAWV member instrumental in the planning and execution of the workshop, said. “I have been passionate about getting this program

off the ground, and I’m looking forward to watching it grow in the years to come.”

A welcome reception and dinner for teachers took place Tuesday, June 19, at The Clay Center, and the workshop began Wednesday morning, where educators participated in a variety of STEM-related activities.

STEM Seminar Continued on page 14

INSIDE

Marc Monteleone / 2 Mark Clark / 3 Charlie Burd / 4 Sarah Smith / 5 Member News / 6 Member News / 8 Greg Kozera / 7 Ergon / 9 Mark Taylor / 11 Hugh Byers / 13 Industry Events / 15 STEPS Meeting Registration Form / 17 Summer Meeting Sponsor Form / 18 Summer Meeting Registration Form / 19

2

Marc Monteleone IOGAWV President

Bad Tax Policy Kills Growth Ronald Reagan once said, “If you want more of something, subsidize it; if you want less of something, tax it.”

Well West Virginia, do we want a strong economy, long term good paying jobs and increased tax revenues? Or, do we want the continued outward migration of our best and bright young talent, a growing drug crisis and the continued decrease of good paying jobs?

Time to answer the question correctly and pass the laws and policies needed to make West Virginia the place where future generations want to live, work and raise their families.

For the last year we have all heard that the natural gas industry is the best HOPE for West Virginia’s future in terms of providing a strong economy, good paying long term jobs and increased tax revenues.

We have talked about upstream and downstream manufacturing, gas fired power plants, the Appalachian Storage and Trading Hub and LNG exports. The actions our legislators take to address PEIA will either bring these opportunities to West Virginia or send them to our neighboring states of Ohio and Pennsylvania, where the tax burden on natural gas is far less. We can pass laws to encourage investment in West Virginia or we can increase taxes to push the investment elsewhere. It is a simple choice the state must make to seize the single greatest development opportunity it has had in a century.

There has been a lot of commentary about raising the severance tax on natural gas in order to “fix” PEIA. However, as Mike Hall, the chairman of the PEIA task force

has stated, no one has articulated an answer to how do you fix PEIA. It is critical that the PEIA task force carefully studies the issues and determines what can be done to properly resolve the issues before we just throw money at the problem. Raising taxes on a fragile but promising natural gas industry is not the answer. It does nothing to address the overarching problem of healthcare cost inflation.

West Virginia’s severance tax rate is already much higher than all of its neighboring states. In fact, West Virginia’s rate is already more than double and triple of some of its neighboring states which compete for the same natural gas investment dollars. Raising the severance tax rate would lead to less investment in West Virginia, less drilling in our state, resulting in a reduction in natural gas production and lower severance tax revenues generated for the state. The risk is that increasing severance taxes conceivably results in lower collections.

Natural gas is a depleting resource. Production from a well begins to decline almost immediately following the time production begins. Increased severance tax revenues from natural gas production are dependent on sustained or increasing levels of production. In other words, we have to drill more wells to replace the production that has been consumed. In order to compete for investment capital for the purpose of drilling new wells, West Virginia has to be competitive from a financial modeling perspective. Specifically, this means we must compete with Ohio and Pennsylvania – something we are not

successfully doing at this time.

The graph on page 8 demonstrates the effect on drilling activities in Arkansas when the state passed its severance tax law.

West Virginia does not only compete with Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The same natural gas companies operating in the Marcellus and UtiTax Policy Continued on page 10

2017-2018 OFFICERS BOARD MEMBERS Marc Monteleone President Brett Loflin VP/Program, Govt. Affairs Chair Jim Pritt Secretary-Treasurer/Commerce Co-chair Scott Freshwater Immediate Past President James W. Crews Director, Commerce Co-chair J. Kevin Ellis Director, Governmental Affairs Co-chair Doug Malcolm Director, Environmental Chair Mike McCown Director, Comm. & Educ. Chair Sam McKown Director, Producers Issues Co-chair James Rode Director, Safety Chair Sarah Smith Director, Membership Vice Chair Rick Toothman Director, Producers Issues Co-chair

3

Mark D. Clark Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC

Climate Change Voices Come to West Virginia

On June 12, 2018, four of the more well-known names in the climate change arena came to Charleston, West Virginia to provide their perspectives on the science associated with the ongoing climate change dialog. My firm, Spilman Thomas & Battle, sponsored the appearance of the panelists, Dr. Michael Mann, Dr. Judith Curry, Dr. David Titley and Dr. Patrick Moore, at the Geary Auditorium on the University of Charleston’s main campus for an evening of “Conversations on Climate Change.”

The Spilman starting point for the conversations was simply “[c] limate change is undeniable, but there is disagreement as to whether human activity is causing it, and if so, to what degree.” With this underlying premise, each panelist had 15 minutes to explain his or her position, which could include recommended actions to address climate change.

Dr. Mann, professor of Atmospheric Science at Pennsylvania

State University, quickly proclaimed that climate change is real and that it is caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Dr. Mann explained that the burning of fossil fuels is already presenting real challenges to people throughout the world.

Dr. Mann’s position is that while there is no room for debate over the man-made contribution to climate change, there is room for debate over what to do to solve the problem. Dr. Mann informed that audience that his famous or infamous, depending on which side of the science you stand, “hockey stick” graph demonstrating an unprecedented warming spike in the later part of the 20th century is 20 years old this year. Dr. Mann reminded us that each of 2014, 2015 and 2016 broke global temperature records against overwhelming odds of such an occurrence. He also asserted that under current circumstances temperatures are likely to rise 4 to 5 degrees Celsius with related sea level rise of 6 to 8 feet.

Dr. Curry, who was on the faculty at Georgia Tech and is currently the president and co-founder of Climate Forecast Applications Network, explained that she moved from climate change proponent to a skeptic position based upon careful study of the scientific basis for the conclusions asserted. Dr. Curry acknowledges that broad based scientific consensus exists that global temperatures have increased and that humans have contributed to the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide and that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. But, as Dr. Curry explains, the disagreement does not relate to the fundamental science but how much of the global temperature increase is attributable to carbon dioxide. Dr. Curry asserted that the observations relied upon

by Dr. Mann and others had natural explanations that exist without reliance on human caused carbon dioxide increases. Dr. Curry’s argument that one could characterize the conclusion as it is “as likely as not” that human caused carbon dioxide is not a major contributor to climate change. She also criticized the current atmosphere as excessive overconfidence in an overly simplistic theory of climate change.

Dr. Titley, a retired admiral in the U. S. Navy and faculty member at Pennsylvania State University, brought a more practical perspective to the conversation with greater emphasis on the concerns about climate change impact. Dr. Titley uses a three-legged stool analogy for his position that is based upon the legs of fundamental theory, ClimateChange Continued on page 10

4

Charlie Burd Executive Director, IOGAWV

From the Burd’s Nest: Being in the Right Place at the Right Time As June 2018 comes to an end, so closes the chapter on my sixteenth (16th) year as your executive director. To be completely honest, I never remotely imagined that when I first walked into the IOGAWV office on July 1, 2002, that I would still be here today. As I reflect, it was pure fate that brought me here to IOGAWV—and some help from people that I will never forget nor be able to fully repay.

So just how did I end up as your executive director? Well, first I had to be available and that occurred when Dominion made the decision to eliminate most of its marketing and economic development department in early 2002. After Dominion purchased Consolidated Natural Gas in 2000, they initiated a systematic assessment of virtually all departments and started a general plan of downsizing and getting leaner after the merger. I’m not exactly sure, but it seems it took four or five previous cuts in manpower and departments before the ax fell on marketing and economic development. I was informed in very early January 2002 that my last day would be February 28, 2002—exactly one month short of 29 years’ service. Six others joined me that same day.

I vividly recall driving home from Clarksburg that January day, having dinner and then, after little threeyear-old Nathan was in bed, telling my wife Leone that I had been given my pink slip and would soon be looking for another job. She looked at me and said, “Great, now you can go do what you want to do!” With that support, how could I go wrong?

As you might expect, I took the high road and continued to work

through my last day. On that last day, I distinctly recall, as if it were yesterday, the last email I sent as a Dominion employee. It was to the CEO. I thanked him for giving me the opportunity to work and make a living for my family; I told him there was work left undone and I could have made a difference; I expressed the heartbreak of turning in my company ID card I had carried for 29 years; and finally I told him I would seek to find an opportunity to work for someone that put employees on the asset side of the balance sheet.

On March 1, 2002, I went to work for the Mason County Development Authority. Its director had left and I was hired to get the office back into compliance with the West Virginia Division of Commerce regulations.

So off to Point Pleasant, WV, I went about three days a week and loving every minute of the work and the new set of friends and professionals I encountered.

But it was an old friend calling that changed my life forever. I don’t remember the exact day and date, but one day in mid-May 2002, my cell phone rang on my way home from Mason County—it was Denny Harton (GasSearch Corp.). He’d heard Dominion had “cut me loose” and would I be interested in interviewing for a job at IOGAWV. Having never heard of IOGAWV I told him I’d check with my wife but Charleston was a long way to drive to work.

Later that day, Leone convinced me doing the interview would be good practice for future interviews.

So a few days later, after doing some research on IOGAWV, I put on my best suit and off I went to Charles-

ton for the interview. After meeting the search committee and speaking with the staff, I knew. Ya know how ya just know??? Well, that was me. I knew I was the right person for the position.

Within a very short time, Denny called again, and I was getting a second interview—but this time, ditch the suit!! I met with the full Board and it was a great meeting.

IOGAWV had lost a long-time executive director and there were lofty expectations. I saw this as an opportunity to enter an entirely new career path. The Board members wanted an experienced lobbyist, one who could hit the floor running. I told the Board members I could learn to lobby and what they really needed was a person to grow IOGAWV and make it bigger, better and stronger.

I was with my wife’s family in Minneapolis in early June 2002 when the Sunday afternoon call came from incoming president Tom Hansen that the Board wanted to extend an offer. Could I be in Charleston on Wednesday? I rebooked an airline flight and came home three days early. The negotiations were not long, and I was to be IOGAWV’s new executive director. I would start in July, but they wanted me to attend the June Board of Directors meeting in Pittsburgh. On the way to Pittsburgh there would be a Commerce Committee meeting hosted

by Ken Pote, Interstate Oil and Gas, at his offices near Weston. I was welcomed with open arms and Ken and I remain the closest of friends to this day.

Burd’s Nest

Continued on page 14

5

Sarah Smith Membership Chair

IOGAWV Board Approved Eight New Members in June Please welcome these new members approved in June: ARQ PRO Paul Goad 301East Main Street Suite 1100 Lexington, KY 40507 Phone: (859) 469-6813 www.arq.com First Surety Corporation PRO Bradley Tuckwiller 179 Summers Street Suite #307 Charleston, WV 25301 Phone: (304) 720-1985 Fax: (304) 342-9726 brad.tuckwiller@ firstsuretycorp.com

Hydro Recovery LP ALL Teresa Irvin McCurdy 1646 Lowell Lane New Cumberland, PA 17070 Phone: (814) 862-9916 Cell: (717) 329-6402 teresa.mccurdy@ hydrorecoverylp.com www.hydrorecoverylp.com Locomote Express LLC ALL Keith Earles PO Box 2693 Huntington, WV 25726 2426 US Route 60 Hurricane, WV 25526 Phone: (304) 397-6515 Cell: (304) 654-3232 Fax: (304) 397-6904 kearles@locomoteexpress.com www.locomoteexpress.com

Penn Environmental ALL & Remediation, Inc. Matthew Pierce 111 Ryan Court Pittsburgh, PA 15205 Phone: (412) 722-1222 mpierce@penn-er.com www.penn-er.com Sleep Inn & Suites- ALL Moundsville WV Joan Grubler 8 Walmart Drive Moundsville, WV 26041 Phone: (304) 810-4000 Cell: (304) 639-3001 Fax: (304) 840-4166 gm.wv123@choicehotels.com www.sleepinnmoundsville.com Sleep Inn & Suites- ALL Parkersburg WV Joan Grubler 97 Emerson Commons Blvd.

Parkersburg, WV 26104 Phone: (304) 893-9191 Cell: (304) 639-3001 Fax: (304) 893-9198 gm.wv123@choicehotels.com Venture Contracting, LLC ALL Patricia Laughlin 4102 Sandridge Road Normantown, WV 25267 Phone: (304) 462-7575 Cell: (304) 377-7029 plaughlin@ venturecontractingllc.com www.venturecontractingllc.com

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Member News

Ike Morris Earns Life Achievement Award Story and photo by State Journal Staff Writer Rusty Marks.

Thrasher had great praise for North Central West Virginia oil baron and philanthropist Ike Morris, the Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement Award winner, during ceremonies in June. The 2018 Who’s WHo in Business awards were presented in June and sponsored by The State Journal.

“Ike Morris showed me how to live life,” Thrasher said.

He said Morris showed him how to work hard and give back to the community.

Morris, now 80, first came to West Virginia in the early 1960s with a broken-down oil service rig and a beat-up pickup truck. He built a company called Waco Oil & Gas, and he has become one of the most active philanthropists in and around the Glenville area and North Central West Virginia.

Morris has given more than $10 million to Glenville State College and has built sports centers and baseball fields in the name of the family and his wife, Sue. “I met my wife at a convenience store,” Morris recalled in a video biography. “The first time I met her, I said I was going to marry her.”

In the video, Morris said he was an expert at wooing women. The video then cut to a shot of Sue, who said Morris used to drive down the road in his pickup truck and slap the side to get her to look at him.

Morris said it was easy to give back to the community once he became a successful businessman and entrepreneur.

“There were so many people giving to me,” he said.

“You know, there’s only two kinds of people,” Morris said. “There’s

givers and there’s takers. You all have got to be givers. Makes you feel good. Makes you just feel wonderful.

“I just want people to keep giving.

Do it, and do it right here.”

Below, NCWV Media Publisher Andy Kniceley, right, presents the Lifetime Achievement Award to Ike Morris.

7

Greg Kozera Learned Leadership LLC

Where Things Come From

I was at a family party a few weeks ago in the heart of Marcellus country. My nephew, Rob, works for a company that builds Marcellus drilling pads and roads. Rob’s boss, the company owner, was there. He was complaining that people have no idea where things come from. He told about a discussion he had with a woman about hunting. She told him, “You should not be killing animals.

You need to buy your meat at a store where no animals were harmed.”

Rob’s boss said that he couldn’t believe that people were so stupid.

This isn’t uncommon. A few years ago, a good friend of mine, a coal company executive, was flying into Pittsburgh. He ws talking with his

seat mate who asked about his job.

He said, “I work for Consol Coal Company.” She responded, “Tell me something. With all of the electricity we have why are we still burning coal?” He said he was speechless.

She had no idea that we burn coal to create electricity.

This lack of knowledge is dangerous, especially for people with some power. We heard one presidential candidate in the last election say that he would ban “fracking.” Then he hopped onto his private jet built with plastics from fracked wells and fueled by fossil fuels from hydraulic fracturing. Without fracking he would be making campaign stops on horseback or steam engine.

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I just returned from the Virginia Oil and Gas Association annual meeting in Virginia Beach. A Virginia legislator submitted a bill banning all new power generation from fossil fuels, new pipelines or distribution lines for fossil fuels, import terminals for fossil fuels, refineries and exploration for any fossil fuel resource. It was scary: the bill was voted out of committee on a 6-4 vote. Fortunately, the session ended before it could go further. Those who voted it out of committee have no idea that it would drive up power costs for Virginians, leave people in the dark and drive business out of Virginia. They have no idea that fossil fuels are required to manufacture solar panels. I have yet to see a windmill blade on I-79 being hauled by a 20-mule team. It is always on a truck built and fueled by oil and natural gas AND “fracking,” since all wells are fracked.

Virginia used to be a great place to do business. Shale Crescent USA is working with a foreign company that is serious about expanding to our region. When I asked why they had no interest in West Virginia sites, their comment was, “Well Richmond…” I explained, “We’re not western Virginia. We are West Virginia, a separate state.” They are now looking hard at West Virginia sites because we are NOT Virginia.

On a radio show a few years ago a man called in to ask me what I thought of his Chevy Volt. I said, “The Volt is a good thing. You do understand that it is powered by electricity that comes primarily from natural gas and coal. The Volt is made out of a lot of plastic to keep Come From Continued on page 12

8

Member News

Two Named Who’s Who by The State Journal Story and photo by State Journal Staff Writer Rusty Marks and other contributors.

West Virginia may be blessed with vast reserves of coal and natural gas.

But, according to former Commerce Secretary Woody Thrasher, “Our greatest resource, without question, is the people of West Virginia.”

While the statement applies generally, Thrasher was referring specifically to the 14 West Virginians honored Tuesday at the Who’s Who in West Virginia Business awards in Charleston. The awards are given out each year by The State Journal, this year honoring IOGAWV members Al Schopp of Antero Resources and Brian Sheppard of Dominion Energy, among the 2018 honorees.

Thrasher, who was keynote speaker at the event, said he knew most of the award winners personally. Years ago, he said, one of them hired him.

Then again, Thrasher said the corollary also applied. “(Award winner) Al Schopp fired me years ago,” Thrasher said. “I got rehired, but that guy knows how to fire someone.”

What the honorees have in common, Thrasher said, is they all have an “exponential” impact in driving the state forward.

“They have impacted tens of hundreds of thousands of people,” Thrasher said. “These people are special, and want to impact lives in a positive way.”

“My responsibility is making sure we’re doing the right thing out here, and we’re doing the right things in the community, doing it safely and treating the environ­ment right,’’ according to honoree Al Schopp, Antero’s Senior Regional Vice President of Appalachia (among his other corporate titles).

“West Virginia has really become a big hub and a spoke of operations out here,” Schopp said. “We’ve real­ ly become a West Virginia-centric company. We still have some operations in Ohio, but I would say the majority of our plans are here in West Virginia.’’

That work ethic and educational path guided Schopp to today’s tightknit group of employees at the West Virginia office who share his pridei n their work.

“These are good people that I want to be around,” Schopp said. “I want to do everything in my power to make these people successful, because they’re the ones that do the work. These people are the cream of the crop, and I’m very proud of what they’ve accomplished, and I’m proud of how they interact with the community. ‘’When people talk about leadership, it mean: there’s something to lead. In my mind, that is how I would measure my success.”

The other IOGAWV member honored by The State Journal is Brian Sheppard of Dominion Energy.

“When I was in high school, I took a geology course, and it just struck my interest,” Sheppard said.

“It was really something I enjoyed, and I started looking at what opportunities were around in that field.

I felt like there was a good opportunity in the engineering side of things so I decided to go into petroleun engineering and it’s been something I really enjoy.

“I’m responsible for all of our operations across six states,” Sheppard said of his position as vice president of Eastern Pipeline Operations for Dominion. “We operate in West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland and Virginia.”

Honoree Al Schopp of Antero Resources.

For Dominion to thrive, it must become a part of the community, he said. “I’m at the stage of my career where I’m looking at how I can continue to look at sustainability,” he said.

Sheppard, who grew up on a farm, has a life-long passion for the outdoors. He says a lot of his time is focused on his family, being his wife and two sons, and he looks forward to more community involvement.

Honoree Brian Sheppard of Dominion Energy.

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Ergon

Monthly Appalachian Basin Crude Oil Prices

TIER 1 - 150+ net barrels of crude oil. No more than 2% BS&W (if the BS&W is over 2%, it will then qualify for Tier 2 pricing.) One stop location (one or more tanks at a single location).

TIER 2 - 60-149.99 net barrels of crude oil. Two stops within five miles.

TIER 3 - 30-59.99 net barrels of crude oil.

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Climate Change Continued from page 3 observations, and predictions. He is comfortable in the fundamental science and the consistency of the observations. With regard to the predictive value of the science, he suggests that the predictions, if anything, are too conservative. Dr. Titley identified sea level rising as the most significant human impact of the continued temperature increases.

Under worse case scenarios Dr. Titley could foresee rising sea levels to cause dislocation of hundreds of millions of people with a resulting migrant problem that would dwarf our current Syrian war caused migration. Dr. Titley expressed a strong and clear concern for the people such as those in West Virginia whose economy and lifestyle would be impacted due to policy choices and

Tax Policy

increased regulations. His conclusion is simply there is too much as stake to not act aggressively to curb climate change because the United States has the ability to help those impacted.

Dr. Moore is a former leader in Greenpeace and is a passionate presenter that humans are not causing the current climate changes. Dr. Moore based much of his view on the paleoclimate record demonstrating that temperatures and carbon dioxide are not consistently linked throughout the five hundred million year record. Dr. Moore’s position is that carbon dioxide has never been the cause for the earth’s many climate shifts through ice ages and tropical periods, so there’s no reason to assume it is today either. Dr.

Moore argued that carbon dioxide is essential to all life and discussed the benefits of carbon dioxide. He suggests that an argument can be made that more carbon dioxide is better than less.

The audience was engaged and appreciative of the presentations of each of the panelists. While it is not clear that any minds were changed by the Conversations on Climate Change, almost certainly new information or new takes on existing information were learned by most. If you would like an opportunity to watch the presentations and the subsequent question and answer session, please contact Mark Clark at MClark@Spilmanlaw.com or Dave Yaussy at DYaussy@Spilmanlaw.com to request a link to the video.

Pennsylvania and with it reduce our ability to realize the hope for broad based economic growth. Is this really how we “fix” PEIA’s failing fundamentals?

The natural gas industry is the catalyst for the best hope for a strong and vibrant West Virginia. We just have to allow it to happen.

Continued from page 2

ca Shale are also developing acreage in the Permian Basin of West Texas, the Haynesville Shale in Louisiana and other shale plays across the United States. The companies that are engaged in shale development are well-capitalized, fully capable of relocating to the region offering the most attractive environment for generating profits.

West Virginia’s severance tax rate is currently 5%. Last year Ohio’s effective severance tax rate was 1.3% and the impact fee in Pennsylvania was 2.9% (and only for a period of 15 years). That means West Virginia’s severance tax rate is 384% higher than Ohio’s tax rate and 172% higher than Pennsylvania’s limited term local impact fee. Pennsylvania does not have a true severance tax. An increase in West Virginia’s severance tax rate would further diminish our ability to compete with Ohio and

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Mark Taylor WeatherBELL Analytics

WeatherBELL: What To Expect This Summer

For more information about WeatherBELL’s services and to get the hot-off-the-press HDD forecasts, please visit our website www.weatherbell.com or contact Mark Taylor at (770) 855-1585/taylor@weatherbell.com.

As we expected, May and June have seen a widespread sudden snap to summer weather after a record cold April.

We are expecting a warmer than average pattern for much of the country for the summer, though expect the back half of summer to be less warm.

From late June into early July, a heat wave will establish itself over the Midwest and East. This will likely be the hottest stretch of the summer.

In the Tropics, cool water in the Tropical Atlantic supports a weaker than average Hurricane Season, but there will be windows of opportunity for storms to move near the U.S. Coast, where they still can be very strong.

12

Come From

Continued from page 7

it light weight. That plastic comes from petrochemicals that come from oil and gas wells that have ALL been fracked.” He hung up.

I was playing golf with two “smart” businessmen from Florida.

They told me, “Most of our electricity in Florida comes from wind and solar.” They were clueless that, in Florida, 62% of the electricity comes from natural gas and less than 5% is from wind and solar.

Natural gas liquids (NGLs) are turned into resins which are turned into the products we use every day by various processes using high tech automated equipment. At the National Plastics Expo (NPE) in Orlando, we saw the equipment in operation turning various resins into the products we use every day from car fenders and engine parts to cups, trash cans, medical equipment, building materials and even films and coatings that keep our food fresh being made right in front of our eyes.

People enjoy modern conveniences like cell phones, TVs, cars, household appliances, clothing, shoes, medicines, etc. However, many people have no idea that they all start at an oil or gas well somewhere.

We are fortunate, because of the Marcellus and Utica that can be here and not in Saudi Arabia or Russia.

Look around any hospital or doctor’s office. Most of what you see will be plastics. Without them, modern medicine couldn’t exist and people die. This is important to know.

At NPE, not all of the exhibitors understood the importance of oil and gas to their business. We were visiting the Shell cracker model when two gentlemen from California approached. One scornfully commented, “Oh, that’s that fracking area.” They walked away quickly, still totally clueless.

Manufacturing and petrochemicals are responsible for our food, cloth-

ing and shelter. They are our best hope to raise people out of poverty and to feed the additional 2.5 billion people expected on the planet by 2050. We are fortunate that we are in a position to help the world and in the process to create good jobs locally that will create prosperity for the Shale Crescent USA Region.

I always prefer to know the truth.

In business, family matters and our personal health it is always best to know the truth, even if it isn’t what we want to hear. When people know the truth about where things come from, they can make better

decisions because they are dealing with facts and not fantasy.

One radio host completely forgot about her earthquake question when I opened my response with where the products she uses everyday come from. It was disarming. I had to backtrack so her listeners knew that “fracking” wasn’t the cause of earthquakes.

We should never fear the truth. It is our friend. The world would be a much different place without oil, natural gas, NGLs and the products we make possible. Shouldn’t we tell people about it?

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Hugh Byers Direct Energy

Nymex Natural Gas Futures Contract 12-Month Forward Strip Average Prices Through 6/25/2018

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Burd’s Nest Continued from page 4 So, how is it I seemed to be in the right place at the right time? Well, let’s start with meeting a girl from Nebraska in 1990 who becomes my wife in 1993 and gives me great encouragement and advice in 2002.

Working for Bob Orndorff, Dominion, who saw and appreciated my potential. Meeting and getting to know Delegate Bill Anderson (now Chair of House Energy) in Pleasants County while assigned to a “natural gas fired peaker power plant” project on land located beside his farm.

Meeting Denny Harton and assisting his company relocation to a new facility while serving as the development director for Wood County, WV. And....as I was told a few years later, how these three individually and then collectively conspired to get me an interview and then insisted I was the right person to lead IOGAWV. Let me close by saying what a privilege it is to be your executive director, and I look forward to occupying this seat a while longer. I have

had the great honor to work with many outstanding individuals but none more outstanding than Lori Miller Smith, my office manager and close friend. Then there are Tammy Stuck and Dee Beane whom I hired and who put up with my sense of humor and little quirks every day.

And to my many officers, chairmen and Board of Director members whom I have served with great pride and who have treated me as one of them. Looking forward to my 20th anniversary article and a gold watch!

Holly Evans, TransCanada Pete Sullivan, Greylock Energy The event closed with a Q&A session, and each teacher received an IOGAWV material kit with supplies to conduct experiments learned during the seminar with their students in the upcoming school year.

“This turned out to be a wonderful event, and we know teachers walked away with valuable tools and information for their students,” Mike McCown, communications and education chair for IOGAWV’s board of directors, said. “I’d like to thank everyone who made this possible,

including IOGAWV, OOGEEP, our panelists and generous sponsors, and especially our great West Virginia teachers.”

Sponsors of the workshop included Antero Resources; BrickStreet Insurance; Civil and Environmental Consultants, Inc.; TransCanada; EnerVest; and Marc Monteleone, president of the IOGAWV board of directors.

For more information about IOGAWV, visit www.iogawv.com.

Follow IOGAWV on Facebook and Twitter to see photos from the event and for news and updates.

STEM Workshop Continued from page 1 The workshop is modeled after the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program (OOGEEP), which hosts teacher workshops throughout the year in Ohio, as well as other educational and public outreach events.

“I’m so excited to see IOGAWV launch this education program in West Virginia,” Rhonda Reda, executive director of OOGEEP, said. “It’s important for teachers to engage their students about STEM, and these workshops help incorporate energy-related lessons and activities in their classrooms.”

The workshop consisted of seven learning stations, related curriculum and hands-on STEM activities regarding the natural gas and crude oil industry. These stations included everything from the formation of these biotic materials to the creation of more than 6,000 petrochemical products used every day.

In addition to the workshop, an industry panel provided the opportunity for teachers to interact with local oil and gas industry professionals. Panel participants included: Jeff Isner, moderator Tim Neill, Antero Resources Zachary Evans, TransCanada

15

Industry Events

Please Add These Dates To Your Calendar July 10-12, 2018 Tom Dunn Energy Academy WV Wesylan Buckhannon, WV July 19, 2018 IOGAWV Safety Seminar WVU Erickson Alumni Center Morgantown, WV July 26, 2018 The Environmental Partnership Appalachian Summer Workshop Hilton Garden Inn Canonsburg, PA Info: http://www.cvent.com/ events/the-environmental-partnership-appalachian-summerworkshop-2018/event-summary025e2a7f0f8d44609c1919fafa2766cc. aspx

August 5-7, 2018 IOGAWV Summer Meeting The Greenbrier White Sulphur Springs, WV Info: www.iogawv.com August 15-16, 2018 Summer NAPE Brown Convention Center Houston, TX Info: http://napeexpocom/ August 17, 2018 SOOGA Fall Golf Outing Oxbow Golf Course Belpre, OH Info: www.sooga.org August 23, 2018 Divot Diggers Golf Outing & Steak Fry Tam O’Shanter Golf Club Hermitage, PA Info: www.pioga.org

R.L. Laughlin & Co., Inc

“Providing Gas Measurement Services since 1970”

Site Automation Meter Sales Gas Analysis

 Electronic Chart Integration  Meter Installations  Calibrations & Repairs

NOW SERVING YOU IN 3 LOCATIONS: 125 State Rt. 43 Hartville, OH 44632 330-587-1230

5012 Washington St., W. Charleston, WV 25313 304-776-7740

1205 Buckhannon Pike Nutter Fort, WV 26301 304-969-0033

September 21-22, 2018 IOGAWV Sports Weekend Bridgeport Country Club Bridgeport, WV September 30 – October 2, 2018 IOGCC Annual Conference Coeur D’Alene Hotel Coeur D’Alene, ID Info: http://iogcc.publishpath. com/events October 17-18, 2018 Fall Oktoberfest, Annual Meeting and Sports Outing Seven Springs Mountain Resort Champion, PA Info: www.pioga.org November 11-13, 2018 IPAA Annual Meeting Ritz-Carlton New Orleans, LA Info: www.ipaa.org

16

New Board

Continued from page 1

Jeff Isner is the CEO and cofounder of Pillar Energy, LLC located in Charleston, WV. Pillar Energy owns and operates roughly 1400 wells in WV and OH and has 25 employees. He has worked in the measurement and marketing segments of the industry prior to forming Pillar Energy.

He received his B.S. in Economics and International Business from West Virginia Wesleyan College as well as his MBA. He previously served on the IOGAWV Board from 2014-2017 and co-chaired the initial Producer Issues Committee as well as chaired the Communication and Education Committee. He also serves on the Commerce Committee and has volunteered on sub-committees within the Commerce Committee. As chair of the Communication and Education Committee, he introduced IOGAWV’s inaugural WV Science Teacher Conference taking place June 19-20, 2018 in Charleston, WV. Isner resides in Ripley, WV with his wife, Jessica, and their three children. He attends Calvary United Methodist Church in Ripley.

Robert L. (Bob) Radabaugh is president of S&R Gas Ventures Ltd., a small independent oil and gas production and mineral company, which he and his former partner founded in 1991, and owner-operator of Radabaugh Environmental Services, which he founded in 1984. He was employed by the WV Department of Natural Resources from I 976-1981 and Trio

Petroleum Corp. 1981-1993.

He has been a member of IOGAWV since 1981. Since joining, he has been active in the Association on both committees and the Board of Directors. He has been a member of the EnvironmentalSafety Committee since its inception, and has served numerous times as chairman or vice chairman through the years. He has served five terms on the Board of Directors and, in 1993, he received the IOGAWV Distinguished Service “Gunslinger” Award. He has also been involved with GOpac, for a number of years.

He is currently on the Oil & Gas Conservation Commission, where he has served since 2005, and was on the Oil & Gas Inspectors Examining Board, from 2000-2012.

Radabaugh is a native of Gilmer County, WV and a graduate of Glenville State College with a degree in Forest Technology. His wife Sharon is a retired school teacher from Sand Fork Elementary School and has one son, Jeremy, who lives in Wheeling.

Ben Sullivan is General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Greylock Energy, a company that purchased the majority of the assets of Energy Corporation of America

in late 2017 and which operates more than 4,400 shallow as well as unconventional / horizontal wells throughout Appalachia, including several thousand in West Virginia. Prior to joining Greylock, Sullivan worked for ECA. He is a member of the Boards of Directors of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the Hatfield McCoy Regional Recreational Authority, and is a former Vice President and Board of Directors Member of the West Virginia Independent Oil and Gas Association (2015-2017), current Trustee and former Executive Committee member of the Energy and Mineral Law Foundation, current member of the Legislative and Legal Committees of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, and previously served as Legal Committee chairman for the WVONGA and as a member of the Legal Committee of VOGA. Sullivan graduated from the University of Kentucky and received a law degree from the WVU College of Law. He and his wife Stephanie live in Charleston with their two children.

17

STEPS Meeting Registration Form

2018 STEPS Meeting Registration

Sponsored by IOGAWV, WVONGA and WVMA Erickson Alumni Center, WVU-Evansdale, Morgantown, WV July 19, 2018 _____________________________________________________________ Company Name _____________________________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip _____________________________________________________________ Telephone Participant

Member Y/N

Email

There is no cost to attend this meeting.

Please register by July 6, 2018, by fax at (304) 344-5836 or mail this registration form to: IOGAWV, 300 Summers Street, Suite 820, Charleston, WV 25301

For additional information, call Lori Miller Smith at (304) 344-9867. www.iogawv.com

300 Summers Street | Suite 820 | Charleston, WV | 25301 P: (304) 344-9867 F: (304) 344-5836

18

Summer Meeting Sponsor Form

2018 Summer Meeting Sponsor Form The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, WV August 5-7, 2018 ____________________________________________________________ Company Name ____________________________________________________________ Contact Name _____________________________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________________________ City State Zip ____________________________________________________________ Telephone Email

Sponsorship opportunities:

______ Diamond Event Sponsor $5,000 and up (call for availability) • Banner hung at sponsored event • Specific signage at sponsored event • Listing on Diamond Sponsor board • Logo and name listed in event PowerPoint presentation • Logo listed in event program, web site page and newsletter ______ Platinum Sponsor $3,000 • Listing on Platinum Sponsor board • Logo and name listed in event PowerPoint presentation • Logo listed in event program, web site page and newsletter ______ Gold Sponsor $2,000 • Listing on Gold Sponsor board • Logo and name listed in event PowerPoint presentation • Logo listed in event program, web site page and newsletter ______ Silver Sponsor $1,000 • Listing on Silver Sponsor board • Logo and name listed in event PowerPoint presentation • Logo listed in event program, web site page and newsletter ______ Bronze Sponsor $500 • Listing on Bronze Sponsor board • Logo and name listed in event PowerPoint presentation • Logo listed in event program, web site page and newsletter Please return this form to IOGAWV, address below, by July 13, 2018. Be sure to email a high resolution (300-dpi minimum) version of your company’s color logo and a link to your web site to lmillersmith@iogawv.com.

Thank you for your continued support! www.iogawv.com

300 Summers Street | Suite 820 | Charleston, WV | 25301 P: (304) 344-9867 F: (304) 344-5836

19

Summer Meeting Registration Form

2018 Summer Meeting Registration The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, WV August 5-7, 2018 Please complete and return this form, along with your check, by July 13, 2018. Please type or print the information as you would like your badge to read.

__________________________________________________________________ Name on Room Registration __________________________________________________________________ Company Name __________________________________________________________________ Address __________________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip, Telephone Registration Fees A) Member (per person) $ 375.00 B) Member’s Spouse $ 225.00 C) Children Under 21 $ 100.00 (if attending IOGAWV events) D) Children Over 21 $ 225.00

E) Kate’s Mountain Only $ 200.00 F) Kate’s Mtn. Only, < 21 $ 100.00 G) Non-Member (per person) $ 600.00 H) Non-Member’s Spouse $ 350.00

Individuals with special needs (mobility, access, medical diet, etc.) should indicate specific needs in a letter attached to your registration form. ____________________________ Name as it should appear on Badge

ABCDEF (Circle one)

$_________

____________________________ Name as it should appear on Badge

ABCDEF (Circle one)

$_________

____________________________ Name as it should appear on Badge

ABCDEF (Circle one)

$_________

____________________________ Name as it should appear on Badge

ABCDEF (Circle one)

$_________

Spouses’ Event (includes lunch)

$125

$_________

Late fee of $25 per person registering after July 13, 2018 TOTAL

$_________ $_________

IOGAWV • 300 Summer Street, Suite 820 • Charleston, WV 25301 Phone: 304-344-9867 • Fax: 304-344-5836 NO REFUNDS AFTER JULY 13, 2018 Golf Tee Times should be made directly with Hill Herrick: email hill_herrick@greenbrier.com or call 304-536-4909. www.iogawv.com

300 Summers Street | Suite 820 | Charleston, WV | 25301 P: (304) 344-9867 F: (304) 344-5836

300 Summers Street, Suite 820 Charleston, WV 25301 Phone (304) 344-9867 Fax (304) 344-5836

Presort Standard U.S. Postage PAID Charleston, WV 25312 Permit No. 175