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2021 IOGCC Chair's Stewardship Awards


2021 IOGCC Chair’s Stewardship Award Winners

As Chair of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC), Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt awarded the 2021 Chair’s Stewardship Awards to the Railroad Commission of Texas, North Dakota Petroleum Foundation, North Dakota Oil and Gas Division, and EOG Resources. The award winners were recognized during the 2021 Annual Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 

Environmental Partnership Award:

  • Railroad Commission of Texas - Padre Island National Seashore Well Plugging and Site Remediation Project

Working in coordination with the National Park Service at Padre Island National Seashore, with funding from the RESTORE Council, the Railroad Commission partnered with AAA Well Services, LLC and E-Tech Environmental and Safety Services to plug 10 abandoned gas wells, and an associated abandoned water supply well. Two of the gas wells were drilled in 1968, with the remaining eight gas wells drilled from 2002 to 2008; the wells were abandoned in 2012 and orphaned in 2013. The project also removed surface equipment at five well pads and two tank battery sites.

  • North Dakota Petroleum Foundation – Planting for the Future

Planting for the Future is operated by the North Dakota Petroleum Foundation and supported by funds from the North Dakota Outdoor Heritage Fund, North Dakota Petroleum Council, and industry sponsors. Planting for the Future is a habitat and conservation program that provides trees and shrubs for large-scale planting projects to private landowners, city and county parks, and others interested in building habitat for the future. The program has planted 134,000 trees since 2018, completed 51 projects on private land, and worked with 44 landowners in the North Dakota.


 

Energy Education Award:

  • North Dakota Oil and Gas Division - Bakken Restart Task Force Education Series

In the aftermath of the April 2020 oil price collapse and pandemic impacts to the energy sector, the North Dakota Oil and Gas Division published and maintained the Bakken Restart Task Force Action Report. The Oil and Gas Division kept continuous communication available on the status of shut-in wells and production and related regulatory relief, economic stimulus, and efforts to “restart” the Bakken. This included a three-part written and podcast series discussing asset retirement as well as communications and graphics around use of CARES Act funding to keep service companies and frac crews working throughout the pandemic.

 

Large Company Award:

  • EOG Resources - Closed Loop Gas Capture Process

EOG implemented a process in its New Mexico operations that provides an alternative to flaring or shutting in producing wells due to temporary downstream market interruptions by diverting gas from a compressor station or gas gathering system through a pipeline to be metered and injected into a nearby well. This process allows EOG to minimize flaring emissions, improve recovery of the resource, and limit surface disturbance by using existing facilities and infrastructure.

The Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission is a multi-state government agency consisting of 31 member states, 7 associate member states, and 6 international affiliates. The Commission has led the country in the development of sound oil and gas and environmental policy by supporting the member states in the establishment of effective regulation of the oil and natural gas industry. The Commission works through a variety of programs designed to gather, review, and share information, technologies, and effective regulatory methods.