50th Anniversary of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming

Floor Speech

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Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming. On August 21 through 23, the Petroleum Association of Wyoming will celebrate 50 years of operation during its annual Rockies Petroleum Conference in Laramie, WY.

In 1910, Wyoming Governor B.B. Brooks sought to protect the State's oil industry and organized an oil convention. In 1921, The Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Association was formed in Casper, WY, to advocate for oil-based trade and production in the Rocky Mountain States. Governor Brooks served as the first president, along with volunteer Secretary-Treasurer George Jarvis. In 1945, President Paul Stock was elected president.

In 1974, the Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Association's Wyoming division office and the Wyoming Oil Industry Committee joined forces to form the Petroleum Association of Wyoming. Wyoming's oil history dates back to 1832 when fur trader Capt. B. L. E. Bonneville traveled to the Wind River Valley. He found oil springs southeast of present-day Lander. The State's first oil well would be drilled there five decades later by Pennsylvania oilfield explorer Mike Murphy. Murphy sold mainly to the Union Pacific railroad, where the oil was used as a lubricant for railcar axles, and to tanners in Utah.

Wyoming's first oil refinery was built in Casper by the Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Company in 1895. It was located east of Center Street, near the Chicago and North Western railroad tracks. The refinery produced 100 barrels of oil per day. Several more refineries opened around the State in the decades following. By 1920, there were 16 refineries in Wyoming. Total production capacity was 88,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Today, four operating refineries are located in Casper, Sinclair, Evanston, and Newcastle. They have the capacity to refine 125,850 barrels per day. In 2023, Wyoming ranked eighth nationally in crude oil production with 96.8 million barrels. At its height in 2022, Wyoming had 27,951 producing oil and gas wells. Today, nearly 55 percent of Wyoming's surface lands are owned by the Federal or State government. Federal lands issues are a top priority for the Petroleum Association. The organization advocates for multiple uses for the safe and sustainable development of oil and gas resources. It works to educate landowners on their rights and responsibilities concerning mineral development.

In 2021, Wyoming's petroleum industry employed over 20,000 people with an annual payroll of $3.6 billion plus. Oil and gas producers paid $2.42 billion in taxes in 2023. This helps to fund numerous areas, including education, public infrastructure, and local governments. Today's association members range from the majority of top producers to small mom-and-pop operations. These account for more than 90 percent of Wyoming's oil and natural gas production. My friends Bruce Hinchey, John Robitaille, and the late Rick Robitaille all served in executive positions with the association. They, along with current President Pete Obermueller and all past and present employees, put in countless hours with the Wyoming Oil & Gas Commission, State legislators, Governors, and the Federal delegation. These entities work together on permitting, BLM Environmental Impact Statements, environmental lawsuits, and so much more.

The Petroleum Association is led by these staff, board officers, board of directors, and management committee: President Pete Obermueller, Vice President and Director of Communications Ryan McConnaughey, Regulatory Affairs Director Colin McKee, Office Manager and Executive Assistant Rachel Sanborn, Chairman Shelley Shelby, Continental Resources, Vice Chairman Gabriel Sepulveda, Williams, and Secretary-Treasurer Peter Wold, Wold Oil Company, Joe Milczewski, Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Dan Zilmer, Merit Energy Company, Brett Schuman, Halliburton, Steve Degenfelder, Kirkwood Oil and Gas, LLC, Greg Pulliam, Exxon | XTO Energy, Inc., Paul Sander, Aethon Energy Company, Tim Muniz, Impact Exploration, Nick Piatek, Hilcorp Energy, Frances MacDonald, Anschutz Exploration Corporation, Niko Welch, Vaquero Big Horn, Bryce Ballard, Ballard Petroleum Holdings, Chad McLawhorn, Contango Oil and Gas Company, Chris Fling, Primary Fuels, LLC, Kaylene Gardner, Crowheart Energy, Josh Demorrett, ConocoPhillips, David Bush, Black Hills Energy, Tom Kirkwood, Westco Operating, Inc., Macey Wallace, Ovintiv, Jasmine Allison, PureWest Energy, Jenna Mays, ExxonMobil, Dave True, True Oil, LLC, Kyle True, Diamond Oil, LLC, Hank True, Eighty-Eight Oil, LLC, Paul Ulrich, Jonah Energy, LLC, Teddy Carter, Devon Energy Corp, Tracy Opp, EOG Resources, Inc., Tom VanKleef, Oil Mountain Energy, and Eli Bebout, Nucor Oil and Gas.

It is an honor to celebrate the crucial work done by the association over the last 50 years. My hope is that oil and gas will remain a strong and viable industry for decades to come. Warmest congratulations to the Petroleum Association of Wyoming on your golden anniversary.

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