2019 Rockies & West Agenda

Immediately after the networking activity on Monday, stop by and join us in the Bunker Hill Foyer 2nd Floor of the Omni Los Angeles Hotel for drinks and networking!

For the past several years, Colorado has been the epicenter of the fight over responsible oil and natural gas production as out-of-state activists and outside money have pushed local bans on hydraulic fracturing and an extreme statewide setback. In 2018, Colorado voters rejected the 2,500-foot setback measure but efforts continue to regulate and restrict the industry, including sweeping reforms passed by the Colorado legislature this year. The lessons learned in Colorado are becoming more applicable across the country. In this session, you will find out what industry has done in Colorado to try and create a more stable and predictable political and regulatory environment.

The Utah Governor’s Office of Energy Development (OED) is committed to advancing Utah’s energy and minerals economies for the provision of affordable, reliable, and sustainable outcomes that promote rural and urban economic growth. This is accomplished through adhering to an all of the above energy policy to supports the use of all energy sectors for project and infrastructure development. OED continues to provide agency leadership for advancing natural gas development and policies in order to advocate and engage stakeholders throughout the western region. The Western States and Tribal Nations Rural Natural Gas Initiative (WSTN), is a strategic partnership between government and industry stakeholders that in formalized through a memorandum of understanding between, Utah, Wyoming, Ute Tribal Nation, and Colorado Counties; Mesa, Rio Blanco, Moffat and Garfield. The WSTN has identified two key west coast LNG facilities in its recent report that will generate significant export opportunities for western states natural gas. Western natural gas developments and west coast LNG facilities are aligned for increased rural job growth, economic diversity, infrastructure development, tribal self-determination, access to global markets and environmental stewardship.

Electric Generation Fuel Switching Dynamic
Natural Gas Supply vs Demand Management
Exploding Pipelines: California’s Natural Gas Infrastructure Approach
California’s “Smugness Bill 100” (SB 100)
•What are they smoking?
•Disconnecting from Natural Gas
•Solving a “global” issue California-style
•Is it Affordable?
The Nuclear Option
California’s Retail Power Rates

An overview of energy fundamentals, with a specific emphasis on Western natural gas markets. The discussion also includes a review of the current regulatory environment and international events contributing to the evolving energy landscape.

•The Promise of the Permian: Managing growth in Lower 48’s most promising basin
•Western Canada production outlook and challenges: LNG / Regulatory Concerns
•Capitalizing on Opportunities and navigating Challenges in marketing natural gas to the West
•Rockies production and Decarbonization: Supply flow changes and realistic goals

Alternatives methods for delivery of natural gas where/when traditional pipelines and distribution systems are unavailable or impractical. Including natural gas fueling systems and virtual pipeline arrangements, leveraging truck transport of LNG and CNG.

Please join our hosts, the Corporate Sponsors, at a cocktail reception in your honor. Don’t make your dinner plans too early as hors d’oeuvres and an open bar will be the highlight of this extremely well attended session!

How can we best balance the equally important needs of equality, environment, economy, and a truly sustainable energy future?

•Industrial and PowerGen end use gas buyers discuss natural gas supply requirements including deliver-ability concerns and rate-able take requirements in support of renewables. Topics of discussion to include:

1. What buying or pricing strategies are you currently employing, for instance, what if any long-term purchases are you making or how are you managing the hedging activities?

2. What are the important issues/challenges for your LDC/company/industry in both the short-term and the long-term? How will your LDC/company/industry meet these challenges?

3. How has the recent low-cost commodity environment impacted expectations of and communications with end-users and regulators?

4. Were there any developments this winter that caused you to look at storage and firm transportation differently? Discuss how and why. What will you do differently to prepare for the winter of 2019/2020 based on low storage injection projections?

5. How have exports to Mexico and LNG Exports impacted the current natural gas market in the West?

6. Are the planned Permian pipeline projects enough to affect the current basis? What do you foresee as a result of the recent pipeline expansion and/or project delays?

7. How are Canadian flows impacting natural gas in the Northwest / West?

8. How has the impact of the Aliso Canyon and SoCal outages affected the region and gas buying in the region?

9. Approximately 40% of the U.S. Coal power plant capacity has shut down since 2010 and this trend doesn’t appear to be changing.

a. Does your company have plans to shut down coal plants and will gas be used to replace this generation?
b. Have other utilities that you transact with shutdown coal and has that changed your gas or power sales with them?

10. Has the growth in renewable power generation impacted your gas demand? If so, how?

11. How do you see utility scale batteries (energy storage) impacting your gas demand – in 2 years, 5 years, 10 years?

12. What factors, other than price, influence your decision to choose one supplier over another?