JD's Perspective

April was a busy month for energy education in the Lone Star State. From hosting teacher workshops to inspiring students to explore oil and gas careers to recognizing extraordinary math teachers, our company’s efforts made an impact in schools across the state. 

Bloomberg recently released a data visualization of the startling decrease in the number of active wells in the U.S. And, in fact, rig counts are at the lowest they’ve been in 75 years. While that may not seem like information that impacts your daily life, the reality is that each of these rigs supports dozens or even hundreds of jobs lost. And that’s not all.

Our industry is highly regulated. These regulations ensure we operate in a safe, responsible manner to protect our employees, communities where we operate and the environment. However, the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has proposed a new rule to limit natural gas venting and flaring that could have the unintended effects of reducing production in our operating areas, thus preventing associated state revenues.

It’s not a secret that Texas is America’s top oil and natural gas producing state. But what that means economically isn’t that well known. Recently released data from the Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA) shows that the industry paid $13.8 billion in state and local taxes and state royalties in fiscal year 2015.

Even if you never get behind the wheel of an automobile, or set foot on public transportation, your daily life is touched by materials derived from oil and natural gas.