Water’s crucial importance will be reviewed from every angle Wednesday and Thursday during the Permian Basin Water in Energy Conference at the Horseshoe Arena at 2514 Arena Trail in Midland.
After an 8:30 a.m. welcome by University of Texas Permian Basin President Sandra Woodley, Wednesday’s program will open with a 9 a.m. discussion of “Don’t Mess with Texas: Water Edition” by Texas Water Development Board Chairwoman Brooke Paup.
A 9:45 a.m. analysis of “Partnerships in the Permian: The Evolution of Water Technology & Future Pathways to Commercialization” will feature Dr. Zacariah Hildenbrand of the University of Texas El Paso; Michael Dyson, CEO, Infinity Water Solutions; Mark Phan, Permian commercial manager, ExxonMobil; Jon Moeller, operations project manager, Chevron; Whitney Dobson, vice president of beneficial reuse, Aris; and Jason G. Herman, program manager for the Ground Water Quality Bureau, New Mexico Environment Department.
Predicting attendance of 300-400, Conference Chair Richard Brantley said recently that the event will be more comprehensive than a produced water seminar.
“The contemporary concerns we’re dealing with are beneficial reuse of produced water and how can we grow that percentage,” said Brantley, senior vice president of operations at University Lands. “Certainly seismicity, which may result from injection, is another concern.
“I think somebody said it well the other day that the Midland-Odessa community is wide awake about the seismic occurrences (earthquakes) as you’ve experienced and we have all experienced.”
Sponsors are XTO Energy, Diamondback Energy, NGL Water Solutions and Goodnight Midstream.
You may register at 432-552-2853 or [email protected]. Tickets are $650.
“Academia, Regulators and Industry Working Together to Address Water Injection Challenges in the Permian Basin” will be addressed at 11 a.m. Wednesday by Moderator Robert Crain, executive vice president, Texas Pacific Water Resources; Dr. Katie Smye, co-principal investigator at the Center for Injection and Seismicity Research, UT Bureau of Economic Geology; Paul Dubois, assistant director of technical permitting of the oil and gas division, Railroad Commission of Texas; and Stefan Hussenoeder, geoscience technology advisor, ExxonMobil.
After lunch, the topic will be “Water Policy Opportunities and Challenges, State Land Initiatives and Insights from Produced Water Research Consortia of Texas and New Mexico” with Moderator Ben Shepperd, president, Permian Basin Petroleum Association; Brantley; Rusty Smith, executive director, Texas Produced Water Consortium; and Mike Hightower, director, New Mexico Produced Water Research Consortium.
There will be a 1:30 p.m. program Wednesday on “Advanced Treatment of Produced Water for Beneficial Reuse Outside the Oil and Gas Industry” with Ryan Hall, director of technical operations, NGL Energy Partners; Dr. Philip Gleckman, CEO, Sunvapor; Hightower; and Dr. James Rosenblum, research assistant professor, Colorado School of Mines.
“Opportunities & Challenges: Lithium & Other Critical Mineral Extraction from Permian Produced Water” will be reviewed starting at 2:15 p.m. with Moderator Jake Hendricks, senior director of business development, Renovo Resources; Brady Murphy, president-CEO, TETRA Technologies; Scott Conley, senior vice president of commercialization, EnergyX; and Dr. Chris Harich, chief operating officer, XRI.
“Project PARETO: A Free and Open-Source Produced Water Optimization Framework for Practitioners, Researchers and Students” will be discussed at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday by Dr. Miguel A. Zamarripa-Perez, senior research engineer and Produced Water Application for Beneficial Reuse, Environmental Impact and Treatment Optimization Development Lead, National Energy Technology Laboratory.
Wednesday’s final program will be at 4 p.m. on “Continuing Education: Ethics in a Changing World” with Max Wright of the Shafer, Davis, O’Leary & Stoker law firm, and Dr. Michele Harmon, senior HR compliance consultant with the Energy People Group and UTPB business Lecturer.
American Petroleum Institute President-CEO Mike Sommers’ keynote speech at the conference banquet at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Midland Petroleum Club will be on “A Washington Course Correction is Needed for America’s Energy Security”
Following the presentation of student research poster awards at 8:30 a.m. Thursday at the Horseshoe, “Environmental Stewardship and Staying Ahead of the Coming EPA Regulations” will be discussed by Moderator Steve Beach, dean of the UTPB College of Business; Sam Sledge, CEO-director, ProPetro Services; John Durand, vice chairman, XRI; Trevor Gleisner, supervisor emissions control, Diamondback; and Lee Fuller, officer of environment and general strategy, Independent Petroleum Association of America.
Hightower will review “Land Application of Produced Water in the Western U.S.”at 9:45 a.m. Thursday and a 10:45 a.m. program on “Development of Human Health and Environmental Risk Assessment Framework for Beneficial Reuse of Treated Produced Water” will feature Dr. Azivy Aziz, environmental associate, ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences.
“The Use of Treated Produced Water for Agriculture Production” will be discussed at 11:30 a.m. Thursday by Dr. Katie Lewis, associate professor, Texas A&M Agrilife Research, and after lunch Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Commissioner Emily Lindley will review “TCEQ’s 2023 Outlook on the EPA, the 88th Legislative Session, the Texas Energy Sector and Everything in Between.”
“Looking Over the Horizon: Exploring Potential Outcomes of Non-Oilfield Beneficial Reuse and Its Role in Today’s Decision Making” will be analyzed at 1:30 p.m. Thursday by Moderator Kelly Bennett, CEO, B3 Insight; Rick McCurdy, vice president of innovation and sustainability, Select Energy Services; Ben Warden, water management supervisor, Diamondback; and Alan van Reet, senior operations manager for water management, Pioneer Natural Resources.
“Water Management Research and Development at the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management” will be reviewed at 2:15 p.m. Thursday by Hichem Hadjeres, produced water program Manager, Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management.
There will be a 3:15 p.m. Thursday presentation on federal water case law by Natasha Martin of the Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody law firm and the concluding program will be on seismicity and water liability at 3:45 p.m. with Paul Tough of McElroy, Sullivan, Miller & Weber and Adam Friedman of McElroy, Sullivan, Miller & Weber.
