2019 May/June What’s Inside? Chairman Letter ...................... 4 Waters of the U.S. .................... 8 Understanding of Energy .....12 RCRA Exemption ....................16 Legislative Session 2019 .......18 National Energy Policy ......... 24 Message from Ed Cross ....... 28 Colorado O&G Operations .. 30 The Voice of the Voice of Industry ................... 36 Kansas Independent KIOGA Midyear Meeting ..... 38 Petroleum Industry Methane Emission Study.....40 FOLLOW US ON: fb.com/kioga @KIOGAKansas Former KIOGA Energy Gala in Oklahoma City, evening, as we honored a long-time Chairman Nick Oklahoma. The 2019 special NSWA industry hero who knows how to build “hero of Industry” honoree was Nick a company through hard work, innova- Powell Powell, Chairman tion, and entrepreneurial creativity,” said Honored as “Hero of of Colt Energy, Edward Cross, President of the Kansas Industry” Inc. in Mission, Independent Oil & Gas Association. On April 12, 2019, National Stripper Kansas. “Nick Powell knows how to identify Well Association (NSWA) took a diamonds in the rough, and we appre- moment to recognize one of America’s “This was ciate his philosophy and ability to see true energy heroes at its 13th Annual a wonderful Continued on page 10 KIOGA thanks the following KIOGA companies for their support through advertising in our Advertisers newsletter. Advertiser pg # . Buyers Guide ....................................13 CVR Refining ....................................43 David Morris, P.A.................... .........27 Desk and Derrick of Wichita .........23 Drill Baby Drill...................................27 Duke Drilling Company, Inc.............5 Evenson Auctioneers............. ............34 Foley Power Solutions.......................11 IMA ....................................................29 Insurance Planning........................... 9 iWell......................................................2 Kansas Truck Equip Co .................... 9 KIOGA........................................ .......37 Lockhart Geophysical Co................ 7 Murfin Drilling Co., Inc. .............. ....13 Paragon Geophysical Serv. Inc........10 SOER .................................................22 The Independent Oil & Gas Dir.......42 Werth Wealth Management ...........35 Front Cover [email protected] Tim Hellman Lotus Operating Co., Inc. Have a photograph you would like to see on the cover? Send to [email protected] Share Your Newsletter Encourage Others to Join Contact Wichita Office for additional copies Gas Field Oil Field Oil & GasField 2 3 succeeded in the late 1990’s. be the most obvious one, and tech- So you all are now wondering nology cannot replace our members what this has to do with KIOGA? in solving these issues. That is why Sure technology can help us. For it is so important for all members example, if we got all of you to to remain engaged and informed. agree to accept this newsletter in Technology cannot alter the percep- a digital format instead of having tions people have of our industry, to print it and mail it out, the asso- and it cannot convince politicians several of you will use your minds to the data acquisition. That took about also thought to be one ciation could save thousands of or regulators to ignore all the false overcome those obstacles. But there 6 months of talking, and I think the of the pioneers of using dollars per year. But the reality is, information being screamed at them are new technologies that we can other operator finally agreed to par- geophysics to find oil and that KIOGA’s advocacy efforts on every day. Technology is great, but use, that are affordable to us. Things ticipate in the shoot just to get rid of natural gas, so he was not behalf of its members, has to orig- it does not replace what you and I like cloud-based pumper’s gauges me. The data was actually acquired averse to adopting new inate in the minds of the men and can do to change hearts and minds, eliminate a lot of office supervision over a field that was pretty much technologies. women who make up the associa- and in reality, by itself, technology verifying and converting production fully developed, and it really did not In 2019 we have all tion. Every time an issue arises in cannot find oil and gas. data to a useable format. Electronic lead to any expansion of the field. kinds of play toys as a Washington, or Topeka, or another engine controllers allow us to pump The data did however explain why result of the computer state capitol, that we need to either Keep Drilling! low fluid wells for shorter periods Message from the dry holes did not work, and that revolution. The aforemen- support or oppose, we have to acti- of time, which in turn allows pumps information is actually worth a lot of tioned 3-D Seismic data vate our minds to come up with a Ken White and rods to last longer. Polymer money. would not be available if plan or solution for the issue. Much squeezes extend the life of high fluid the Chairman But even in areas where 3-D it were not for comput- like finding oil, the answer may not Seismic has proven a valuable tool, ers. It’s been a long time wells and lower pumping costs, and Ken White you still have to have an under- since I saw many hand- fracking…… that new technology, if Chairman, KIOGA standing of the geology, and the drawn geological maps, you consider 1948 new, allows us to extract oil and natural gas from types I have been asked several times economics, and the engineering, but recently a geologist of rocks that previously would not in the last few months to comment and the land, in order to have a suc- friend, who is my age, had give up their fossil fuels. about the role that advances in cessful exploration project. So no a self-titled “old man map” So the media keeps trying to tell technology play in the exploration matter how good the technology is, as part of a geological pre- the public that fracking is some- and production of oil and natural I still hang on to a paraphrase of a sentation he was making DUKE thing new, and we all know that the gas. Obviously, the impact of new, quote from Wallace Pratt who was to me. It was refreshing only thing new about it is the types affordable technologies is huge. I the first geologist hired by Humble to see that part of his of rocks it is being utilized on. The DRILLING use the word affordable, because Oil in 1918. Pratt’s revelation was: thought process was in his late George Mitchell who started new technologies are only useful to “Where oil is first found, is in the mind, and not generated Mitchell Energy in Houston is cred- us in Kansas if they are affordable minds of men” by a computer algorithm. COMPANY, ited with making the breakthroughs to us. There is lots of new technol- We should all be proud to note But we cannot ignore that have allowed natural gas, and ogy out there that we cannot afford that this astute observation came the impact of new tech- now oil, to be extracted from shales INC. to use, because the economics just from a Phillipsburg, Kansas native, nologies on our industry. around the world. His laboratory don’t work for us. who earned his geology degree Especially in the field, was the Barnett Shale around Dallas At least one-half of my explora- at the University of Kansas, and where new, affordable CONTRACT DRILLING and Ft. Worth. Everybody knew tion efforts rely on the acquisition whose first job was working at the advancements have VERTICAL & HORIZONTAL there were massive hydrocarbons in of 3-D Seismic data, and I readily Kansas Geological Survey. Pratt’s allowed us to do more the shale, but they could not figure admit that 3-D Seismic technology employer, Humble Oil, was acquired with less. Horizontal 11 RIGS Serving the Mid-Continent out how to produce it. After years of has changed my life. I acquired my by Standard Oil, and these enti- Drilling has only achieved ties eventually became a company moderate positive results experimenting, and millions of dol- first proprietary 3-D Seismic data 5539 2nd St./P.O. Box 823 called Exxon, which is now Exxon/ in Kansas due to the com- lars invested, Mitchell and his team 100 S. Main, Suite 410 in 1996. To accomplish that first Great Bend, Ks. 67530 finally figured out how to do it, and Wichita, Ks., 67202 shoot, I needed to persuade an off- Mobil. The giant oilfields that Pratt plexity of our geology and 316-267-1331 620-793-8366 the rest is history. Mitchell was actu- set operator to participate with us in helped discover all originated “in the that old “affordability” minds of men”. Wallace Pratt was thing. I have no doubt that ally in his late 70’s when he finally 4 5 KIOGA Mark Media Specialist and your Calendar Climate Realist Event Name Date Location J Fred Hambright Memorial Golf/Bingo June 3, 2019 Wichita, KS Scheduled for KIOGA Gregory Wrightstone Energy Council Energy & Env Conf June 13-16, 2019 Biloxi, MS 82nd Annual Convention is the author AAPL Annual Meeting June 19-22, 2019 Pittsburgh, PA in August of the book Inconvenient IPAA Midyear Meeting June 24-26, 2019 Colorado Springs, CO Facts: The Get your AESC 2019 Summer Meeting July 31-August 2, 2019 Coeur d’alene, ID Science That registration forms Al Gore on the KIOGA 82nd Annual Convention/Expo August 11-13, 2019 Wichita, KS Doesn’t Want You to Know KIOGA website. Summer NAPE August 21-22, 2019 Houston, TX that challenges www.kioga.org 2019 IOGCC Annual Conference August 25-27, 2019 Medora, ND many apocalyp- tic predictions Kansas State Fair September 6-19, 2019 Hutchinson, KS KIOGA is pleased to announce that about our ever Mark Mathis and Gregory Wrightstone dynamic climate.