Please join us on Thursday, June 4, 2015, from 5:30–8:00 p.m. CDT for our Shale Symposium series (Webinar 6:30-7:30 p.m. CDT).

Challenges Facing the Oil and Gas Industry: Lower Commodity Pricing and BLM’s Hydraulic Fracturing Rule

There is little doubt that lower commodity prices have triggered changes in the oil and gas sector. While capital remains available, independent oil and gas producers will face challenges if prices do not rebound in the near term. Our keynote speaker, Mark Miller, president of Merlin Oil & Gas and Vice Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), will address how IPAA members will respond to this challenge, whether through creative financing solutions or technological advances. Mr. Miller also will address any policy changes that could be made at the federal level to support the oil and gas industry in the United States.

In addition, there will be a discussion of the recently issued Bureau of Land Management (BLM) final rule purporting to govern hydraulic fracturing on federal and Indian lands. The rule represents the most high-profile component of the Obama administration’s sweeping efforts to overhaul regulations governing virtually every aspect of domestic oil and gas production. The presentation will explain the role of the hydraulic fracturing rule within the more expansive regulatory context and will consider the economic impacts that the rule will have on the oil and gas sector and the consequences that the outcome of legal and political challenges seeking to invalidate the rule could have on federal energy policy.

Register to attend in person >> | Register to attend via webinar >>

Speakers:

• Mark K. Miller – President, Merlin Oil & Gas; Vice Chairman, IPAA
• Dan Naatz – Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Political Affairs, IPAA
• Mark Barron – Associate, BakerHostetler

Venue and Agenda

Royal Sonesta
Houston Galleria
2222 West Loop South
Houston, TX 77027
5:30–8:00 p.m. CDT

• 5:30–6:30 p.m. – Networking Reception
• 6:30–7:30 p.m. – Presentations
• 7:30–8:00 p.m. – Networking Reception

Our speakers will discuss:

• Challenges facing independent producers in a period of low prices
• How the independent producers are responding to this challenge
• The outlook on commodity prices and U.S. production
• What role technology and infrastructure can play in the sector’s response
• Whether the ban on crude oil exports should be lifted
• The history of efforts to update and revise rules for hydraulic fracturing on federal and Indian lands
• Ongoing federal regulatory efforts impacting oil and gas production
• The relationship between commodity prices and regulation, and the implications of that relationship on development on federal lands
• The status of legal and political challenges opposing the implementation of the hydraulic fracturing rule and other ongoing regulatory efforts

Register to attend in person >> | Register to attend via webinar >>

CLE credit pending in Texas. Complimentary valet parking will be provided for attendees. For more information or to be added to our mailing list, please contact Courtney Daniel at cdaniel@bakerlaw.com or 713.276.1696. The BakerHostetler Shale Symposium series addresses issues related to shale and hydraulic fracturing in North America.