Speaking of energy
A number of conferences over the next two weeks will focus on various facets of energy: Wednesday- Thursday: 21st Century Energy Technology Conference & Trade Show, George R. Brown Convention Center. Sponsored by the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers. Friday: Greater Houston Partnership’s annual Energy Summit, Hilton University of Houston. Speakers include EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson; Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Barry Smitherman; and Exxon Mobil President Rich Kruger. Saturday: Energy Day 2012, 11 a. m.- 5 p. m., Hermann Square, City Hall. Free family activities, sponsored by Consumer Energy Alliance. Oct. 24: 2012 Energy Summit, The Houston Club. Speakers include John Hofmeister, founder and CEO of Citizens for Affordable Energy and former CEO of Shell Oil Co.; Bruce Bullock, director of the Maguire Energy Institute at Southern Methodist University; and Michael Lynch of Strategic Energy & Economic Consulting. Oct. 24: Consumers Energy Alliance- Texas Energy and Jobs Forum, Westin Galleria. Speakers include U. S. Rep. Gene Green, D- Houston; U. S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R- The Woodlands; state Rep. Carol Alvarado, D- Houston; and Public Utility Commissioner Rolando Pablos. Oct. 30- 31: Women’s Global Leadership Conference in Energy and Technology, Hyatt Regency Houston. Speakers include Henrietta H. Fore, chairman and CEO, Holsman International; and Cindy Yeilding, vice president for Gulf of Mexico exploration at BP. month ( not to be confused with this week’s Greater Houston Partnership event.)
“It’s obviously a positive in terms of tax revenue, economic activity, jobs and local economies,” Bullock said of the shale boom. “We’ve also found that in terms of infrastructure and the like, depending onwhere it is, it’s not without some challenges.”
That proved true in North Texas, where drilling in the Barnett Shale drew opposition from suburban residents who didn’t like drilling so close to their homes, and Bullock said producers have changed how they operate as a result.
A kind of laboratory
“Shale is still a relatively new phenomenon,” he said. “Industry had to learn to minimize its own footprint. Clearly this was kind of a laboratory up here, and it will undoubtedly benefit the rest of the country.”
That’s part of what he’ll share with his audience, but Bullock said people at all of the conferences gain from learning what their peers are thinking.
“I think everybody benefits from hearing other people’s take on the economic situation in the country,” he said. “Obviously we’ve got an election coming up, and people want to know what the views are on policy and how that’s going to affect oil and gas markets. And they’re all coming at a time when most of these companies are finalizing their budgets for next year.”