E W S
Join us for March 26 "Day at the Capitol"
Join your fellow GO-WV members on Wednesday, March 26, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for Oil and Gas Day at the Capitol. With its abundant resources and hardworking labor force, West Virginia has long been an energy state, exporting electricity across the nation – and beyond. We employ thousands of West Virginians and contributed more than $1.5 billion to the state’s economy in 2024. But many people remain unaware of the impact the oil and gas industry has on the Mountain State, including many state leaders and elected officials.
GO-WV wants to change that. By joining us for Oil and Gas Day at the Capitol, you can help us educate legislators and demonstrate the breadth of the energy industry in West Virginia and the
depth of our impact. Here’s how you can help:
Maribeth Anderson GO-WV Director
• Host a company booth This is an opportunity for you to inform elected officials about your company – your products, community outreach efforts, philanthropic giving, and more. Exhibits should be set up between 8 - 9 a.m. and will wrap up by 2 p.m. Booths are available on a first-come, first-served basis and spots are limited, so for more information or to secure a spot for your company display, complete and submit this Legislative Day Continued on page 26
2025 GO-WV scholarship deadline: March 14
The Gas and Oil Association of WV, Inc. established its Scholarship Program in an effort to become more involved in higher education in West Virginia. The Scholarship Program was specifically created to reward the outstanding scholastic achievements of high school seniors whose parents work in the oil and natural gas industry for GO-WV members companies. The Association also awards deserving high school “student employees” who have completed a required number of working hours at a GO-WV member company. Since 2020, two annual one-time, $1,000 scholarships are also sponsored by ConServ Incorporated and earmarked for students who are choosing a career path that benefits the oil and gas industry in a vocational/technical field such as, but not limited to, welder, truck driver, well tender, electrician, mechanic, etc.
Since the GO-WV Scholarship Program’s inception, over $246,000 has been awarded to these very deserving students. Complete eligibility rules and documents for both scholarship types
are found on pages 28-33 or at https://gowv.com/education/ scholarship/ and will be sent to all member companies.
The completed application, including all required forms and information, must be signed by the high school guidance counselor and postmarked no later than Friday, March 14, 2025. From all the applications received, the GO-WV Scholarship Review Committee will review and award a limited number of one-time only scholarships.
Jennifer Vieweg Communications and Education Co-Chair
Here is a quick glance at those rules:
1. Applicant must be a West Virginia high school senior.
2. Applicant must be a dependent of an employee/retiree of a GO-WV member company in good standing OR be employed by a GO-WV member company in good standing (Student
Reasonable regulation
Much to the chagrin of my wife, Jodi, I broke down and added the Facebook App to my iPhone. Her angst is founded on the premise that “it’s just another distraction in our society and that nothing that is posted on the app changes anything.” I must confess that I downloaded the App to find used equipment and as I added “friends,” I found myself actively defending this industry when I read outright falsehoods and purposeful misinformation which is rampant. In a recent interview, The American Oil and Gas Reporter’s first question was “Are you excited about Trump's election and the cancellation of many regulations?” It’s kind of like when someone asks you if you’ve beaten your wife lately. My response was that this industry has always supported reasonable regulation that is technically feasible, and we will continue to take that posture.
For those of you who may not be aware, the construction of Interstate Pipelines is governed by the rules in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) code B31.8. Power plants are guided by B31.1, and refineries are guided by B31.3. I should add that there are numerous other codes that are referenced and utilized by these industries for ancillary activities. Suffice to say that we are heavily regulated and, through our trade organizations, have worked closely with regulators to put smart, easy to understand regulations in place that ensure that this industry operates safely and efficiently Governments in the US and around the world incorporate ASME rules into laws and regulations. In the US, we use Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 49 (Department of Transportation-DOT) Part 192 for Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines.
Soon after the re-start of construction on the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), you may recall that the pipeline experienced a rupture of water during the hydrostatic test phase of the project as dictated by CFR 49 Part 192. Mike Tony of the Charleston Gazette immediately went into action and penned a story of how irresponsible it was for EQT to be conducting a hydrostatic test and introducing all of that fresh water into the environment. Almost immediately, many of my Facebook friends started commenting on the article exclaiming how dangerous the pipeline is to the environment including the irresponsibility of the operator. I couldn’t resist making a comment and explained that in accordance with the US DOT code we must conduct a hydrostatic test to ensure the quality of workmanship. In that process, we fill the pipeline with water and raise the pressure to 1-1/2 times the maximum pressure that the pipeline will be operated when placed in service. In addition, we hold that pressure for eight hours to ensure that there are no leaks and that the
Chairman's Report
2024-25 OFFICERS
Chair:
Jim Crews
Vice Chair:
Craig Colombo
Secretary:
Brett Loflin
Treasurer:
Kelly Moss
Past Chair: Jeff Isner
BOARD MEMBERS
Maribeth Anderson, Antero Resources
John Bane, EQT
Jason Harshbarger, BHE GT&S
Doug Malcolm, D. C. Malcom, Inc.
Jonathan Morgan, Jay-Bee O & G
Nick Munoz, Williams
Ben Sullivan, Diversified Energy
Aaron Thompson, TC Energy
Jennifer Vieweg, Greylock Energy
Chris Weikle, Expand Energy
Marlin Witt, Baker Tilley, US, LLP
Andria Wymer, Energy
Transportation, LLC
Members at Large:
Jon Farmer, Arsenal Resources
Kathy Hill, Ergon Oil Purchasing
Tom Westfall, Mountaineer Gas
Tim Wilcox, Amcox Oil & Gas
Members Emeritus:
Marc Halbritter
Ben Hardesty
Lloyd Jackson II
Don Nestor
Bob Orndorff
Continued on page 27
Jim Crews GO-WV Chair
2025 Spring Swing set for May 6 at Berry Hills Country Club, Charleston
Come join your industry peers, invite your clients, get outside and enjoy a day “on the links” at the GO-WV Spring Swing on May 5, 2025, at Berry Hills Country Club in Charleston.
Registration opens at 8:00 a.m., with the shotgun start at 9:00 a.m.
We have registration options that include sponsorships with foursomes, sponsorships without foursomes, single golfers or foursomes. We’ll match players for single registrations.
We have several levels of sponsorship to meet your goals. Select your sponsorship level and register your team, or select your registration choice if you’re not able to sponsor. You can click here to sponsor and/or register.
Diamond, Bronze and Hole sponsorships are available.
Craig Colombo Vice Chair/ Program Chair
From the Burd’s Nest: Get on
the stick
As a kid who literally grew up with a baseball glove on one hand and a bat in the other, I spent countless hours on the baseball diamond. For me, it didn’t matter, practice was always just as much fun as playing a game. My wife Leone will tell you I can remember every game I played and every play I made. That is, of course, not exactly true, but close! LOL
One of my best baseball buddies was Dave Brooks. We played on the same from Little League through high school. Dave’s father was our summer Babe Ruth league coach. Because of his patience and understanding of the game, he was the greatest coach any kid could have. At one particular early-season practice, I recall Coach was hitting grounders in the infield at us. It was not the greatest day of my career as several balls got past me or my throws were not on target. Coach Brooks stopped, put the bat on his shoulder and said, “Come on Charlie, you’ve got to get on the stick.” In other words: catch the ball, throw the ball and make the play! Important and great advice to me, the kid who later became a great outfielder!! Thanks, Coach!
“Get on the stick” means it’s time to start working harder, to get busy with something, or get moving on something of importance.
The 87th West Virginia Legislature began at noon on Wednesday, February 12. In the first nine days (February 24) of the 2025 Legislative Session, there have been over 1,500 total pieces of legislation introduced. Each proposes changes that can affect every business or individual in West Virginia. Several will be very important to producers, pipelines and a variety of affiliated business in the oil and natural gas industry.
At only nine days in, it is much early to do more here than to inform you of what has thus far been presented. With seven full weeks of Session still ahead of us (session ends at midnight Saturday, April 12), we can fully expect to see several hundred more bills introduced.
Given what has been introduced to this point,
here is but a sampling of what we are assessing and monitoring. It is easy to determine our position on some legislation from the offset. Other bills may need to be amended to include or exclude oil and natural gas depending on the purpose of the bill. Then there are those bills that we quickly determine we must oppose.
In general terms, we are closely tracking legislation that we:
SUPPORT:
• Encourage development, transportation and use of electricity generated using West Virginia natural gas as the energy source for generating electricity.
• Creating a credit to be applied against severance tax for certain infrastructure improvements. (Amending language on this legislation includes natural gas).
• Establishing a “One Stop Shop” permitting process.
• Clarifying that electricity provided to certain business development districts may be generated from any fuel source (a very pro natural gas bill).
• That the fossil fuels of coal, oil and natural gas extracted and used within West Virginia are exclusively regulated by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.
• WVDEP legislative rulemaking on Class VI primacy on injection wells; water quality standards and NPDES permitting.
• WVDOH rulemaking on construction and reconstruction of state roads; use of state rights of way and adjacent areas; and the transportation of hazardous wastes upon the roads and highways.
• Establishing economic incentives for new datacenters that build and locate within the state.
MONITOR TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS:
• Repeal code relating to inspection of vehicles.
• Exempt motor vehicles from personal property tax.
Burd's Nest
Continued on page 24
March leadership, April damage prevention, pipeline seminars set
The Safety Committee has planned four seminars in for which registration is now open.
Effective Leadership Workshop
The Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia (GOWV) and West Virginia Manufacturers Association (WVMA) are pleased to announce an upcoming workshop hosted by Encova Insurance. The workshop will focus on developing and improving your leadership skills and effectiveness. It is a great learning opportunity for those individuals who may be new to a Supervisor/Leadership role and assist in the transition from worker to leader.
The workshop is titled "Finding the YOU in Leadership." It focusing on realizing who you are and how that can help in becoming a better leader in your organization. The workshop will cover and explore several key elements to help increase your ability to lead others. Those elements include: 1) Personality Traits, 2) Importance of Emotional Intelligence, 3) Impact of Generational Differences and 4) The Value of Coaching and Mentoring. Becoming an effective leader is about being a Lifelong Learner. This workshop will help identify steps and components critical to that development.
The Workshop will be presented by Dr. William A. Minerar II who represents Global Project Solutions Consultants, LLC. The workshop will take place Thursday, March 20th at Encova Insurance, Charleston, WV, from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. The cost to attend the workshop is $50 per attendee. If you register 4 attendees, the 5th attendee is FREE. Lunch will be provided. Click here to register for the Leadership workshop or call GO-WV at 304-344-9867.
Damage Prevention Seminar
The Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia (GO-WV) is hosting its fourth annual Damage Prevention Seminar from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Hope Gas in Jane Lew, WV on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. Presented by GO-WV and WV811, the event is sponsored by Hope Gas.
The theme of the agenda will be “Opportunities for Improvement” and focus on challenges faced daily from various industry perspectives.
The morning session shall include a presentation from the Common Ground Alliance on new resources available for use regarding training for multiple key areas around excavator safety. The second half of the morning will include a panel discussion with representatives from various industries where One Call laws apply. The panel will discuss current challenges they face within their respective industry and what opportunities they have implemented to overcome those challenges.
After lunch, we will have a presentation from Badger Daylighting to cover the basics of Soft Excavation methods and how those methods can assist in Damage Prevention efforts. Multiple examples of soft excavation techniques will be discussed and highlighted.
The seminar will wrap up with an overview from WV 811 Director Jerry Poage and Deputy Director WV DPB Brandon Hahn. Jerry and Brandon will discuss updates and initiatives for both WV 811 and the WV Damage Prevention Board.
There is no cost to attend this seminar, but registration is required
Pipeline Safety Seminars
GO-WV is hosting pipeline safety seminars in April in Charleston and Bridgeport. These are presented by the Gas Pipeline Safety Division of the PSCWV. There is no charge to attend, but registration is required; lunch is provided. The agenda will be provided soon.
The first pipeline seminar, sponsored by Mountaineer Gas, will take place Tuesday, April 15, from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at Marriott Town Center Hotel in Charleston. The second seminar is Thursday, April 17, from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. It is sponsored by and will take place at BHE GT&S in Bridgeport.
Jason Porter Safety Committee Chair
Why manufacturing is coming... (hint:
natural gas)
When Lynnda and I went to Japan a few years ago, I knew where Tokyo and Mount Fuji were. I didn’t know where the Japanese major manufacturing centers were. Before we went to Germany last year, I knew the location of major cities. I didn’t know the Dusseldorf / Cologne area is a major manufacturing and petrochemical region or the state of NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia), where Dusseldorf and Cologne are located, is also a major mining region.
The USA is much larger than either of those countries. What we learned at Shale Crescent USA from working with business people from all over the world is that most people, even business people from overseas, don’t know any more about the USA than we know about their countries. We learned from our international meeting contacts, like SelectUSA, and overseas visits, most foreigners (and sadly some Americans) don’t know the location of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. They don’t know about our manufacturing and energy. They know where New York City, Disney World, Texas and Hollywood are. They know the USA produces a lot of oil and natural gas and wrongly assume it all comes from Texas.
Last year the Shale Crescent USA (SCUSA) organization traveled to Europe to put on a single-day event with U.S. Commercial Services in Dusseldorf, Germany for companies interested in coming to or investing in the USA. One of the goals was to make European companies aware all the energy is NOT in Texas! If West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania were a country, it would be the third largest natural gas producing country in the world, behind the rest of the USA (without SCUSA) and Russia. The Shale Crescent USA region produces over 1/3 of the USA’s natural gas, up from just 3% fifteen years ago. Sixty-two percent of the new growth of U.S. natural gas supply is from the Shale Crescent USA region.
Foreigners and some Americans don’t know the Shale Crescent USA region is the birth place of the American oil and gas industry, the coal
industry, the steel industry, the automobile industry, the glass industry, the rubber industry, the petrochemical industry and U.S. manufacturing in general. Manufacturing always follows energy. When our region’s oil and gas was thought depleted in the 1970s the SCUSA region lost most of these industries and the jobs they created. New horizontal drilling technology of the early 2000s created the Shale Revolution. The Marcellus and Utica are 2 of the 3 largest natural gas fields in the world. This is bringing about the expansion and re-shoring of manufacturing and creation of jobs in our region.
This week, the Shale Crescent USA Team will get to tell the SCUSA Region story to over 250 companies in the Netherlands, Belgium and France as part of the U.S. Commercial Services Roadshow. In addition to our region, over 20 states including Texas, Florida, California, Georgia and New York will be part of the Roadshow. We have one on one meetings set up with over 30 companies so far. Other invitations are pending. Most of these companies have decided to expand to the USA. The question is, where in the USA? At SelectUSA every state claimed to be #1. Companies were confused.
SCUSA’s focus is on European manufacturers because that is where our region has a competitive advantage. If a company wants to come to the USA to make chocolates they can do that almost anywhere. Manufacturing always follows energy. The first concern of European manufacturers is economical, dependable energy, which our region has in abundance. Manufacturers can locate close to the wellhead in a region with hundreds of years of reserves. The Gulf Coast is our chief competitor. What foreign business people and even many American executives don’t know is much of the natural gas and NGLs on the Gulf Coast come via pipelines from the SCUSA.
The next question we get is about workforce. This region has been manufacturing for over 100 Manufacturing coming Continued on page 21
GO-WV welcomes 10 new members in February
Please join the GO-WV Board of Directors in welcoming these members approved in February:
David Book
243 N. Market St.
New Wilmington, PA 16142
David Book
Mobile: (724) 946-8583
Drug Testing Centers of America
100 Lee St., W.
Charleston, WV 25301
Phone: (304) 344-8378
Sandy Dingus sandy@drugtestingcenters.com
Entegra Energy Solutions, LLC
PO Box 1087
Bridgeport, WV 26330
Phone: (304) 669-7254
Alex Sutton sutton@entegraenergy.com
Ethos Construction, LLC
PO Box 109
Lost Creek, WV 25336
Phone: (304) 669-1925
Alex Sutton asutton@ethoswv.com
Heater-Garton Insurance
400 US Highway 33, East Weston, WV 26452
Phone: (304) 269-3095
Christopher Heater cmheater@heater-garton.com
Miller Pipeline
8850 Crawfordsville Rd.
Indianapolis, IN 46234
Phone: (724) 900-6419
Mark Chepke mark.chepke@millerpipeline.com
RETTEW Engineering
125 Granville Square Suite 122
Morgantown, WV 26501
Phone: (800) 738-8395
Russalle Zambelli russalle.zambelli@rettew.com
The Rodehaver Group
PRO 248 E. Main St. Clarksburg, WV 26301
Phone: (304) 624-9400
Jonathan Jones jonathan.jones@rgroupcpa.com
United Talent Staffing Services
153 Holland Ave. Morgantown, WV 26501
Phone: (304) 225-6684
Sarah Starcher sstarcher@utalent.com
Western Construction, Inc.
2586 KY Rt. 1428
Prestonsburg, KY 41653
Phone: (606) 874-1660
Patrick McNamee pmcnamee@wciky.com
Andria Wymer Membership Chair
Kathy Hill Ergon
WeatherBELL: Early season cooling forecast
For more information about WeatherBELL’s services and to get the hot-off-the-press forecast updates, please visit our website www.weatherbell.com or contact us at sales@weatherbell. com.
As the spring goes on, we expect the coldest air, relative to normal, to be adjacent to Canada and in the Great Lakes. Warmth should start really early in the Southwest and make inroads into the South in April and May.
The extra contrast between North and South will produce an environment conducive to severe thunderstorms and tornadoes well into the spring.
The resulting above normal rainfall will set the stage for a cool start to the summer in much of the East, especially when it comes to afternoon high temperatures. With the extra humidity, low temperatures should be on the warm side of normal, and this is reflected in the forecast for slight warmth in the Great Lakes and Northeast.
Upcoming events for your review
March 5-7, 2025
Ohio Oil & Gas Annual Meeting
Easton Hilton, Columbus, OH
Info: ooga.org
March 20, 2025
Executive Leadership Workshop
Encova Insurance, Charleston Info: gowv.com
March 22, 2025
Marion County STEAM Day County Stem Center
March 26, 2025
GO-WV Oil & Gas Day at the Capitol State Capitol, Charleston, WV
March 26-27, 2025
WV Construction & Design EXPO
Charleston CCC, Charleston, WV
April 2, 2025
GO-WV Damage Prevention Seminar
Hope Gas, Jane Lew, WV
Info: gowv.com
April 10, 2025
SOOGA Spring Meeting
Marietta, OH
April 12, 2025
WVMA Day at the Legislature
State Capitol, Charleston, WV
April 15, 2025
GO-WV Pipeline Safety Seminar
Marriott Town Center Hotel, Charleston, WV
Info: gowv.com
April 17, 2025
GO-WV Pipeline Safety Seminar
BHE GT&S, Bridgeport, WV
Info: gowv.com
April 17, 2025
PIOGA Spring Meeting
Rivers Casino, Pittsburgh, PA
May 5, 2025
GO-WV Spring Swing
Berry Hills Country Club, Charleston, WV
Info: gowv.com
May 19, 2025
11th Apex Pipeline Charity Golf Outing
Berry Hills Country Club, Charleston, WV
May 19-21, 2025
IOGCC Annual Business Meeting
Oklahoma City, OK Info: iogcc
June 2, 2025
Arsenal Resources Tee-it-up Golf Outing
Pete Dye Golf Course, Clarksburg, WV
June 5-6, 2025
GO-WV Science Teacher Workshop
Waterfront Hotel, Morgantown, WV
June 24-26, 2025
Virginia Oil & Gas Assoc. Annual Meeting
Hilton Garden Inn, Virginia Beach, VA
June 25-26, 2025
KOGA 88th Annual Meeting
Campbell House, Lexington, KY
August 3-5, 2025
GO-WV Summer Meeting
The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, WV
Info: gowv.com
September 11-13, 2025
WV Oil & Gas Festival
Sistersville, WV
Continued on page 25
The Wright man for the job: The new Secretary of Energy
As we all know, with the changing of the President of the United States comes transitions in key cabinet positions that can change the trajectory of the country. President Trump has signed a litany of executive orders over his first 2 weeks to “unleash American energy.” In order to exact his plan President Trump handpicked Chris Wright, an innovator in the energy sector.
Chris Wright is an innovator in the production of shale gas through fracking. In 1992, He founded Pinnacle Technologies which created the hydraulic fracture mapping industry which directly led to innovations in commercial shale gas production until he stepped down as CEO in 2006. Before taking up his new role as Secretary of Energy, he founded Liberty Energy, a fracking company based in Denver.
If you’re like me, working in the oil and gas industry, you’re probably interested in what this man’s beliefs are. I watched all two hours of his confirmation hearing so I could be sure this appointment would be good for not only the state of the industry, but for the state of West Virginia. In his opening statement to congress he summarized that “a low energy society is poor, but a highly energized society can bring health, wealth, and opportunity for all.” He emphasized over and over again that he and Trump are completely aligned on unleashing American energy, and Trump gave him 3 immediate tasks for when he takes over.
The first is to release American energy at home and abroad which for example means prioritizing Alaska’s LNG potential for sale and transportation to the rest of the US and pacific region allies. The second task is to lead the world in Innovation and technology breakthroughs which can be shown through Trump’s mandate for the US to lead the world in the innovation in AI and for American energy to power that innovation. The third task is to build things in America which means removing regulations and the red tape which has kept energy from being unleashed in the US such as the Keystone XL pipeline. The
mission is simple for Chris Wright. Grow The Supply.
What does his nomination mean for the state of West Virginia? In his exchange with Senator Jim Justice, he sided with the former governor that fossil fuels are vital to the energy supply of the United States and that they are by far the cleanest source of renewable energy. He emphasized that “energy is not just a sector of the economy, but it is THE sector of the economy.”
He also promised the new senator from Pennsylvania, Dave Mccormick, that he would work with the senator to build LNG export terminals in Philadelphia to get energy production to the rest of the country and allies around the world. This would directly affect West Virginia LNG production as well due to proximity.
West Virginia is in a great position to be a leader in the energy sector for the next four years, and we should expect Chris Wright to be the right person for the job
2025 GO-WV Winter Meeting in review
The 2025 Winter Meeting opened February 19 with a Producers Issues Committee breakfast where those around the table discussed topics of importance to the industry in West Virginia and beyond.
Shown below, from left, are Chris Ventura of Consumers Energy Alliance, GO-WV Vice Chair Craig Colombo and Phil Reale, The Law Office of Philip A. Reale. Ventura spoke on "Energy Behind the Headlines," and Reale provided a "Legislative Update" and session forecast.
GO-WV members visited with members of the West Virginia Legislature at the Wednesday evening reception.
Shown at left, Steptoe & Johnson lawyers Joseph Leonoro and Brittany O'Saile were joined by Shelby Hicks Merinar (on Zoom) to share "Employment Practices for the Oil & Gas Industry."
Shown above with, from left, GO-WV Chair Jim Crews, President Charlie Burd and Vice Chair Craig Colombo, are "Meeting U.S. and Global Energy Demands" panelists moderator Maribeth Anderson, GO-WV Director, Michael Allen John, President and CEO Northeast Natural Energy, Curtis Wilkerson, Principal, Orion Strategies on "Competitive Power Generations: The Marcellus and Utica Powering the PJM," and Greg Hoyer, Vice President, Government Affairs, Hope Utilities.
Other Thursday speakers included U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Attorney General J.B. McCuskey, Michael Graney of the West Virginia Development Office on "West Virginia Economic Development" and Ryan Choquette of Tenaska on the "Tri-State CCS Project." Shawn Bennett of Battelle on "ARCH2 Summary," is shown at left with GO-WV Vice Chair Craig Colombo.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Office of Oil and Gas, along with the Gas and Oil Association of WV, Inc. (GO-WV), announced winners for the reclamation of oil and gas wells that were drilled between December 1, 2023 and November 30, 2024. Shown above, left to right, are Matt Duke for Columbia Gas Transmission, category four 1st place, John Bane of EQT, category two 1st place, Chris Weikle of Southwestern Energy, category one 1st place, Jon Morgan of Jay-Bee Oil & Gas, category three, 2nd place, Eric Morris of Arsenal Resources, LLC, category three 1st place, Rick Lee of Northeast Natural Energy, category one 1st place, Conrad Baston of Antero Resources, category one 2nd place, and Jarod Duelley of HG Energy, LLC, category four 1st place.
Other 2024 winners were HG Energy II Appalachia, LLC category two 2nd place, CNX Gas Company, LLC, category three 1st place, Chesapeake Appalachia, L.L.C., category four 1st place, and Statoil USA Onshore Properties Inc., category four 1st place.
Cateories are Category One (30 permits or greater with a mandatory score of 87-99, Category Two (15 to 29 permits with a mandatory score of 90-99), Category Three (six to 14 permits with a mandatory score of 92-99) and Category Four (one to five permits with a mandatory score of 95-99).
Phil Reale, right, a key member of GO-WV's legislative team, said West Virginia is doing well because of our industry's taxes. Now we need to compete with other states and other basins. He said our mission has to be to tell our story. "Everyone in the industry has to tell our story to whoever will listen," he said. "Drum into leadership the need for gas-fired power generation plants."
The GO-WV 2024-2025 Board of Directors are shown, from row, from left, Secretary Brett Loflin, Vice Chair Craig Colombo, Chair Jim Crews, Secretary Kelly Moss and Past Chair Jeff Isner; second row, Director of Administrative Services Lori Miller Smith, Director Maribeth Anderson, Member at Large Kathy Hill, Director Jason Harshbarger, Member Emeritus Bob Orndorff, Director Marlin Witt and Member Services Coordinator Jordan Bonnett; back row, President Charlie Burd, Member at Large Tom Westfall, Member Emeritus Marc Halbritter, Director Ben Sullivan, Member Emeritus Lloyd Jackson II, Director Chris Weikle, Director John Bane, Director Andria Wymer, and Director Jon Morgan. Not pictured are....Directors Doug Malcolm, Nick Munoz, Aaron Thompson and Jennifer Vieweg, Members at Large John Farmer and Tim Wilcox and Members Emeritus Ben Hardesty and Don Nestor.
West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey, right, said West Virginia has "all the leverage because we have all the fuel." He said the State of New York's Superfund lawsuit, which GO-WV has joined, is "irrational, unfair, unconstitutional and stupid." He doesn't expect it to get traction in the judicial arena. McCuskey also explained that Attorneys General have become where corporations go for change, even before going to Congress for legislative relief of their issues. He described the new landscape as "legislation by lawsuit."
Pivoten Software CEO Christopher Cantrell and Director Of Professional Services Stephanie Legg shared information on their company and services provided to members of this industry.
GO-WV, IOGA-WV and WVONGA Past Presidents gathered at the Winter Meeting are, front row from left, Tom Liberatore (1997), Jon Hildreth (2015), Maribeth Anderson (2022), Mike Ross, Jeff Isner (2023) and Tom Hansen (2002); back row from left, David Haney (2014), Rich Heffelfinger (1992 and 2004), Marc Halbritter, Ben Sullivan (2021), Ben Hardesty (1986), Don Supcoe (1996 and 2009), Brett Loflin (2018), Jim Crews (2024), Doug Malcolm (2003), Bob Orndorff and Tom Westfall (2021).
Marc Halbritter receives Gunslinger Award
Editor's note: These remarks were made by Lloyd Jackson II in presenting the Gunslinger Award during the 2025 Winter Meeting.
During an IOGA Strategic Planning Retreat in 1991, the job of the Board of Directors was described as “taking a bunch of gunslingers and turning them into a posse.” That is an apt description.
So, in 1993, the IOGA Board of Directors initiated a distinctive service award, named the Gunslinger Award, to recognize individuals who make unique contributions to the success of the West Virginia natural gas and oil industry over an extended period of time. It was my honor to receive this award in 2023, and now it’s my duty and privilege to present the award to the 2025 recipient.
The members of the West Virginia natural gas and oil industry are a unique group of entrepreneurs who endure the cycles of our industry, surviving in hard times and prospering even in sometimes harsh economic environments. In many cases they have had to subordinate their natural instincts as hard-driving leaders to be effective in the trade association environment. The thirty past winners of the Gunslinger Award have done just that, and this year’s winner is no exception.
I know this year’s recipient and I can attest that he has devoted countless hours and worked diligently on behalf of our industry and our state, always putting others before himself, showcasing his Gunslinger spirit time and time again. I’ll try to describe him without giving it away in the first thirty seconds!
He is a native West Virginian who has degrees from two West Virginia institutions of higher ed-
ucation. For about half of his career, he lived and worked away from the Mountain State, but always remained active in West Virginia businesses, trade associations, charitable and civic boards. He has served as a director of several boards, including those serving children, youth, higher education, the church and the natural gas and oil industry.
A lawyer and accountant by education and training, he served several energy companies during his career and is now a consultant for energy and start-up businesses.
I’ve tried to keep it vague to keep him wondering, but I’ve run out of ways to do that.
For outstanding achievements and leadership in the West Virginia Oil and Gas industry, he was selected as the “2021 West Virginia Oil and Gas Person of the Year.”
As if we haven’t given him enough clues, just ask his wife, Debbie, for any other details.
It is my honor and pleasure to present the 2025 Gunslinger Award to Marc A. Halbritter. Jackson, Halbritter and his wife, Debbie, are shown above.
Ben Hardesty receives Hutson Heritage Award
Editor's note: These remarks were made by Ben Sullivan in presenting the Rusty Hutson, Sr. Heritage Award during the 2025 Winter Meeting.
The Rusty Hutson, Sr., Heritage Award, established in 2021 and first presented to its namesake at the 2022 GO-WV Winter Meeting, was established to honor an exemplary individual from the oil and natural gas industry who has, for 25 years or more, supported and demonstrated a tradition of service to and in their community, had positive civic engagement, and/ or served in the development of community leaders and industry workers.
Prior recipients include Rusty Hutson, Sr. in 2022, Ike Morris in 2023 and Pam and Kelly Moss in 2024.
This year's recipient, Ben Hardesty, founded Alta Energy LLC, a consulting business focused on oil, natural gas and energy infrastructure in the Appalachian Basin and onshore United States. He has been one of the “godfathers” for the northeast oil and gas industry for nearly half a century. He has an extensive record of involvement in the industry, having worked with small and large companies during his career. His experience includes work with Dominion Exploration and Production and Stonewall Gas Company, and board service with Antero Resources, Blue Dot Energy Services and KLX.
Before entering this industry, he was an Eagle Scout mad served both on active duty and reserves for the U.S. Army Security Agency. Hardesty received his Bachelor of Science degree from West Virginia University and his Master of Science degree from The George Washington University.
He received an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from WVU in May of 2024.
He served the industry as president of both WVONGA and IOGA-West Virginia. He currently serves on the Visiting Committee for the WVU Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Department and was inducted into both the West Virginia Business Hall of Fame and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Academy.
He served his community as past chair of the Nature Conservancy of West Virginia, board member for the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, president of the Boy Scouts Central West Virginia Council and the advisory committee of the Scouts’ Mountaineer Area Council. He also served in leadership positions with his church in Clarksburg and the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia.
It is with great pleasure that I present the 2025 Rusty Hutson, Sr., Heritage Award to Ben Hardesty.
Donald C. Supcoe III honored
Editor's note: These remarks were made by Rich Heffelfinger in announcing the Donald C. Supcoe III Scholarship.
In July 2024 the GO-WV Board of Directors established a scholarship in the name of and to honor Donald C. Supcoe III.
I am honored to have been asked to make the presentation and it is well deserved, although admittedly it is not something I ever envisioned happening in my lifetime.
I knew Don, or "Donnie as we often referred to him, his entire life! His parents, Don and Patti Supcoe have been dear and cherished friends of Twila and I for more than 40 years. We have been through many of life's celebrations and challenges together, but none more challenging than Don's untimely passing.
Don Supcoe and family were recognized by GO-WV's Board of Directors which established the Don Supcoe III scholarship. Accepting the scholarship plaques were Don's wife Virginia, his father Don, mother Patti and son Joseph. Son Donald C. Supcoe IV is not pictured here.
In addition to being on the periphery of his childhood and teenage years, I also was fortunate to experience over many years his transition into adulthood as a result of a phone call I received from Patti more than 20 years ago.
Patti called and said that Don wanted to learn how to hunt deer. She said, "As you know, his dad doesn't hunt." She asked if I would teach Don gun safety and some hunting basics. I said that I would be happy to do that and immediately invited him to our annual deer hunting week at my cabin. Patti's final words to me were, "You take care of my little boy." If you know Patti, you know that I lived in fear for the first few years.
Don was only 18 and started out with zero shooting and hunting knowledge of skills, but was a quick study. He ultimately became one of the most skilled and successful hunters in the camp.
I learned over the years that Don's success was because he possessed traits that he applied to all of life's opportunities and challenges: hard work, determination, consistency, passion, innovation and personal conviction.
But, most importantly, Don loved his family dearly and was always available with a "willing" attitude to assist family and friends.
The ultimate recipients of this scholarship should be both honored and inspired by Don's life. Honored because Don represented everything that you want a husband, father, son, brother or friend to be. Inspired because Don never encountered a task or challenge that was too big for him.
Don left us all far too soon, but his impact on everyone in his life was far greater than his years. His was a life well lived.
years. We can compete with any region of the USA. The SCUSA has an extensive river and rail system for process water and moving goods. In real estate it is about location, location, location. Which is our region’s greatest advantage. The Shale Crescent USA is the only place in the world where a manufacturer can locate on top of their feedstock and energy AND be in the middle of their customers. (50% of U.S. population is within a day’s drive from the Marietta- Parkersburg area) These are all great advantages, but if foreign companies aren’t aware of them it doesn’t matter.
Oil &Gas Museum
The Oil, Gas and Industrial Historical Association, West Virginia’s only multi-site museum, highlights the history and present day impact of oil and gas in the Appalachian Basin.
We honor and celebrate the rich history of West Virginia and the MidOhio Valley, supporting research, preservation and interpretation at our sites.
Shale Crescent USA’s job is creating an awareness of our region. Jobs Ohio, The West Virginia Development Office and Team Pennsylvania can take it from there.
One goal of the Shale Crescent USA organization is helping foreign companies expand to the USA. We are looking for ways to create synergy between our region and Europe. We know what it is like when industry leaves. My uncles and cousins all lost their jobs when the steel industry left Pittsburgh. A European company may be able to do their energy intensive manufacturing here and ship the intermediate product back to Europe for a value add creating jobs and hope on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Shale Crescent USA region has an environmental advantage most people don’t realize. By manufacturing products here where the energy, raw materials and customers are all in same region transportation is reduced from thousands of miles to a few hundred miles dramatically lowering emissions and reducing manufacturing cost. A recent Shale Crescent study shows, U.S. manufacturers can now successfully compete with China because of transportation cost advantage. In spite of U.S. and European emissions reductions, global emissions have yet to peak primarily because of Chinese emissions. No one likes to talk about Chinese emissions, maybe because they don’t have a solution. Bringing manufacturing back to the SCUSA to operate under U.S. environmental law where transportation is minimized can finally begin to reduce global emissions.
We are blessed to have abundant, economical natural gas and NGLs to bring industry back to our region. This isn’t by accident. The oil and natural gas industry in the Shale Crescent USA region has done a lot of hard work, technology development, taken risks and spent billions of dollars in investments to put the region where it is today. It’s time to begin to reap well deserved benefits. Thanks for all you have done for our region and America!
of the Mid -Ohio
Success starts with a single step. We have an opportunity to help to bring manufacturing jobs back to our region and reduce global emissions. Working with Jobs Ohio, the WVDO and Team PA, we have a great team. We will let you know how it goes.
2025 Winter Meeting Gold Sponsors
2025 Winter Meeting Silver Sponsors
2025 Winter Meeting Bronze Sponsors
employee must have worked a minimum of 400 hours is the past calendar year. Validation of hours worked and a letter of recommendation from the employer must be provided).
3. Applicant must enroll in a four-year West Virginia college or university or a community college/vocational-technical school.
4. Applicant must compose an essay answering the question asked on the application form.
5. Application must be signed by the high school guidance counselor.
GO-WV will accept completed applications, including all documents, postmarked by Friday, March 14, 2025. Should you have any questions,
oR need additional information, please contact Katie McCracken at 304-344-9867 or kmccracken@gowv.com
Burd's Nest
Continued from page 4
• Lots of other legislation!
OPPOSE:
• Remove the cap on the number of gas and other type wells for which well operators are required to pay annual oversight fees.
• Apply penalties for nonpayment of royalties under terms of oil and natural gas leases.
Well, as you can see, the 2025 “game” has begun. Practice is over and for the GO-WV lobbying team and executive leadership it’s time to "Get on the stick." It’s time to catch the ball, throw the ball, and make the play! Luckily, it’s an eightweek game so you can rest assured that your team will keep a watchful eye on these and other bills, rules and resolutions as they are introduced and proceed through the Legislative Session. Look for more on these and others through potential GO-WV Action Alerts via email and here in the April Burd’s Nest!
September 12, 2025
WV O&G Festival Person of the Year Ceremony Sistersville, WV
September 15, 2025
BHE GT&S Golf Outing
Pete Dye Golf Course, Clarksburg, WV
September 16-18, 2026
Shale Insight Conference Bayfront Convention Center, Erie, PA
September 22-24, 2025
IOGCC Annual Conference Anchorage, AK Info: iogcc
September 26-27, 2025
GO-WV Sports Weekend
Bridgeport Country Club and Mountaineer Field
October 2, 2025
SOOGA Fall Trade Show Marietta, OH
October 20, 2025
11th Apex Pipeline Fall Charity Golf Outing Berry Hills Country Club, Charleston, WV
October 21-23, 2025
SPE Appalachian Chapter Annual Meeting Charleston, WV
registration form today.
• Attend the energy roundtable. Held in the Governor’s Cabinet and Conference Room at 11 a.m., industry leaders will provide a relevant discussion about the most critical energy issues facing West Virginia. Your presence will help create an audience for this event and demonstrate broad support for our industry.
• Join your fellow GO-WV members to observe the legislative session from the gallery. You can view the legislative session from the gallery of the House or Senate. Filling the galleries with our members helps elected officials see how many people throughout the state support oil and gas.
There is no charge to attend, but keep in mind that due to the session, available parking may be scarce around the Capitol. If you are unable to find on-the-street parking around the Capitol, there is a visitor lot located just minutes away at Laidley Field. Shuttles pick up visitors at the lot and drop them off directly in front of the Capitol building. This shuttle departs every 10-15 minutes.
Whether you are a producer, a geologist, a well tender, an accountant or a truck driver, our elected representatives need to understand how the energy industry fuels West Virginia. Join us and let your voice be heard.
pipe has no weld failures. I went on to explain that in addition to the hydrostatic test, each pipeline weld is x-rayed to ensure no defects. Oddly, none of the Facebook rabblerousers made a comment to my explanation. Crickets, nothing but crickets apart from one of our state lawmakers who thanked me for explaining hydrostatic tests on social media.
It made me reflect on something my dad always told me. When in doubt, don’t open your mouth and verify everyone’s suspicions (about your level of knowledge). Everyone on social media needs to spend a few days with my dad.
In another less offensive forum, the Pennsylvania, Jersey, Maryland (PJM) Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) made a presentation at the WV Energy Summit where they claimed that natural gas was only reliable from a generation standpoint about 80% of the time. I immediately wanted to raise my hand and point out that pipelines were nearly 100% reliable until the US EPA made us start using electric motors rather than gas engines to compress gas along the pipeline. I realize that the presenter just crunched a mass amount of data to come to that conclusion, but I felt that he should explain that pipelines carrying gas under firm contracts utilizing gas engines are nearly 100% reliable and the only time we fail to deliver is when we have to purchase intermittent power from renewable sources that fail to deliver when it's dark and the wind isn’t blowing. It seems that for all its communicative good, social media has unintentionally nurtured a culture that accepts half-truths and sound bites as fact. My dad told me to believe only half of what you see and none of what you hear. Truer words have never been spoken; especially, today.
My wife tells me that I’m too black and white and that most issues are a shade of gray. I always respond that society has purposefully created that gray to ensure that they are never wrong. Some issues are black and white and I encourage you to raise your hand when you read something that is blatantly wrong regardless of whether it’s out of ignorance or malice.
Last Name
Mailing Address
2025 Scholarship Application
First Name MI
City State Zip Code
Home Phone Number
Date of Birth
Social Security Number
College/University Planning to Attend
High School High School Phone Number
My Parent/Guardian works for a GO-WV Member Company
Parent/Guardian Name
GO-WV Member Company
I Work for a GO-WV Company (referral letter attached) Company Name: _
Graduation Date
Awards Assembly Date & Time
If you filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), what is the amount of your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) as reported to you on the Student Aid Report (SAR)? $
SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
1. Applicant must be a West Virginia high school senior.
2. Applicant must be a dependent of an employee/retiree of a GO-WV Company in good standing OR be employed by a GO-WV Member Company in good standing ( Student employee must have worked a minimum of 400 hours. Validation of hours worked and a letter of recommendation from the employer must be provided).
3. Applicant must enroll in a four-year West Virginia college or university.
4. Applicant must compose a 300-500 word essay answering the question: “Describe your community’s perception of the Oil and Gas Industry and explain how you would improve it.”
5. Application must be signed by a high school counselor.
6. Mail the application with all activity and course forms (listed below), essay, transcript and ACT scores as instructed below. This must be postmarked on or before Friday, March 14, 2025.
ATTENTION STUDENT:
List your advanced placement and honors courses, organizations, volunteer and extra-curricular school activities with which you were affiliated during the four years of high school on the appropriate forms (Advanced Placement and Honors Courses, Extracurricular School Activities, Community Service and Non-School Activities - Including Employment). Please deliver these forms along with your completed application and essay to your high school counselor .
ATTENTION SCHOOL COUNSELOR:
Please sign this application and mail it along with the student’s essay, transcripts, ACT scores, and activity and course forms to the address below postmarked on or before March 14, 2025
Student’s guidance counselor’s signature
PLEASE NOTE: ONE SIDED COPIES ONLY – NO STAPLES!
Advanced Placement and Honors Courses
Grade Level Course
Community Service and Non-School Activities (Including Employment)
TOTAL HOURS
Extracurricular School Activities
TOTAL HOURS
Last Name
2025 Technical & Vocational Scholarship Application
First Name MI Date of Birth
Mailing Address SS Number
City State ZipCode HomePhone
High School High School Phone Number
My Parent/Guardian works for a GO-WV Member Company
Parent/Guardian Name______________________GO-WV Member Company
I Work for a GO-WV Member Company (referral letter attached) Company Name:
Graduation Date:
Awards Assembly Date & Time:
Chosen Vocation/Career: Chosen School:
SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
1. Applicant must be a West Virginia high school senior choosing a career path that benefits the oil and gas industry.
2. Applicant must be a dependent of an employee OR be employed by a GO-WV Member Company in good standing.(Student employee must have worked a minimum of 400 hours. Validation of hours worked and a letter ofrecommendation from the employer must be included with this application.)
3. Applicant must be enrolling in a West Virginia community college or vocational / technical trade school.
4. Applicant must complete both pages of this form.
5. Applicant must ensure that this application and all necessary documents are postmarked no later than Friday, March 14, 2025
ATTENTION STUDENT:
After completing both pages of this form, deliver these documents to your high school counselor
ATTENTION SCHOOL COUNSELOR:
1. Please write a letter stating why you, or the student’s technical or vocational course instructor, recommend the student for this scholarship.
2. Mail the recommendation letter, all pages of this application, and the student’s transcript of grades to the address below postmarked on or before before March 14, 2025.
Student’s guidance counselor’s signature
PLEASE NOTE: ONE SIDED COPIES ONLY – NO STAPLES!
Please feel free to add extra sheets if needed. Gas and Oil Association of WV, Inc. Attention: Katie McCracken
300 Summers Street, Suite 820
Charleston, WV 25301
Phone (304) 344-9867 Fax (304) 344-5836
