Industry Response to Resource Assessments

Dea, Peter A.
Western Gas Resources, Inc, Denver, CO

Resource appraisals such as those published recently, serve industry, state and federal agencies and other decision makers by pointing out where capital and manpower resources are likely to be allocated to meet the growing energy needs of the American consumer. The appraisals indicate the relative maturity of areas, emerging areas and new types of resource potential, some of which may be developed with advanced technology.

The federal government is becoming more aligned with its own mandates of advocating natural gas. The administration understands that a shortage of domestic gas deliverability is directly related to delays in timely access to federal lands. Many streamlining efforts are currently underway to return the permitting process to the historic 45 days versus the current 150-175 day time frame. The government seems to understand that the alternatives to not providing timely access to domestic natural gas leads to less environmentally sound and foreign energy sources, the economic burden of higher gas prices and permanent job loss in the industrial sector.

The industry can rise to meet the challenge of bringing domestic gas to market. Industry has repeatedly advanced technology to improve recoveries from unconventional or deep resources and made substantial progress on mitigating environmental impact. Industry also needs to improve its public outreach so that more Americans have a balanced knowledge that industry is merely reacting to the energy demands of the American consumer in the most environmentally sound way possible in order to sustain the quality of life that most Americans cherish, demand and expect.