PITTSBURGH—The Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association (PIOGA) recently held its annual spring meeting at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh. There was a sense of “togetherness” at the event, reinforced by the proudly displayed “We Are All In” banners. Roughly 275 people were in attendance from midstream and upstream companies, engineering firms, universities, government agencies, legal and ancillary service companies that support the shale industry.

The “All In” meeting kicked off the event by launching this year’s theme, “a new year brings new opportunities for growth in our industry. It’s time to go all in!”

Gary Slagel, government affairs specialist at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, and PIOGA board chairman, welcomed attendees by reiterating and reinforcing the “new opportunities for growth in the oil and gas industry” theme.

He told Hart Energy at the meeting he foresees creating a positive relationship with communities who are concerned about how regulatory changes will affect expansion and infrastructure of the industry via pipelines and drilling in the Northeast region. "Some of the more onerous regulatory programs and policies at the federal level have been, or are being revised or delayed—while this can be viewed as positive news for the industry, it does not lessen industry's environmental and safety responsibilities,” he said. “These changes at the federal level improve, in many respects, the approval and operational aspects for the industry; the industry must now show that those restrictions and requirements are not necessary to operate in an environmentally safe and effective manner.

The improvements brought about by the advances in site preparation, drilling and production and infrastructure development have helped in many ways. Now the industry must focus on finding a key to more effective public outreach,” he continued. “While many of the project-specific outreach efforts have seemingly met their goals, all segments of the industry still struggle with the negative implications brought about by misinformation, misunderstanding and in some ways, disinterest in the benefits derived from our industry. I believe it is important for the industry to maintain a path of continuous improvement with respect to each and every operational aspect, and to remember that we are often judged by our weakest link."

An afternoon panel moderated by Joyce Turkaly, director of natural gas market development at PIOGA included panelists from Enbridge, Dominion Energy Transmission and UGI Energy Services. They shared their insights on “Burner Tip Opportunities, Expanding Midstream.” They discussed details of projects that highlighted the expansion of midstream infrastructure.

One such project was UGI’s conversion of an old coal-fired power plant brownfield to a new 130-megawatt natural gas plant. The project saved 20 jobs and was a true indicator that the natural gas industry is making progress in its goal to serve more industrial and in-home customers.

Brandon Martin, interstate marketing manager at Dominion Energy Transmission, talked about the company’s “pipeline footprint” in the Northeast region. Martin revealed that Dominion Energy is very well positioned within the Marcellus and Utica Shale region with a “reticulated pipeline system of 4,300 miles of transmission pipeline, over 50 interconnects with other pipelines and 9.8 Bcf/d gas peak send-out capability.

“A major project that he cited was their Cove Point project in Lusby, Md. Hart Energy contacted the company’s communications division and asked about Dominion Energy’s infrastructure goals over the next five years with respect to the Cove Point LNG project. "The customers that will use the Dominion Energy Cove Point LNG Terminal export facility will be responsible for procuring their supplies and transporting such supplies to Cove Point," said Karl Neddenien, media/community relations manager at Dominion Energy Cove Point. "Dominion Energy will provide transmission services through the Cove Point pipeline, the liquefaction service and the export service. Dominion Energy does not own the natural gas and will not control from where the natural gas will come. The Dominion Energy Cove Point pipeline is connected to three major interstate pipelines that, in turn, are interconnected with the country's natural gas transmission system; so the natural gas could come from virtually anywhere in the United States."

Mike Turzai, Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, closed out the daylong energy industry conference with an encouraging and inspirational message. Turzai clearly stated his advocacy for the shale industry and the importance of Pennsylvania as a producer of natural gas.

“It is my understanding that Pennsylvania is already producing 20% to 25 % of the nation’s natural gas and we are an exporter. Many of you are the stories that we need to tell throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Each and every one of you is a person that works within an organization that takes significant risks and employs large numbers of people. You are also the exact same people that contribute to your little leagues, churches and synagogues, are involved with your local community and you give back. We want to thank you for everything that you do.”