SHALE Magazine November/December 2022 by SHALE Oil & Gas Business Magazine

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY ISN’T DONE INNOVATING STEM EDUCATION: THE KEY TO IMPROVING THE AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

WHAT ENTREPRENEURS NEED MOST, BUT NOBODY TALKS ABOUT AND HOW TO GET IT THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT TACKLES METHANE EMISSIONS

MEET THE

TEAGUE EGAN EnergyX

O I L & G A S P L AY E R S

BUSINESS

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MOVING AMERICA’S ENERGY The Port of Corpus Christi puts its energy into what matters most - the needs of our customers. With our proximity and connections to Eagle Ford Shale, the Permian Basin, and beyond, we are built to meet the increasing production throughout Texas and the rising demand for energy across the globe.

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SHALE MAGAZINE  NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

CONTENTS 16

SHALE UPDATE

Shale Play Short Takes

COVER STORY

Three years ago, in 2019, and just one year after the company’s inception, Teague Egan sat down to create a 10-year master plan. Strategic plans rarely venture so far into the future but that’s exactly where Teague’s head is at. The problem going forward seems quite simple. The world needs more lithium. More electric vehicles on the road mean greater demand. Incentivizing electric vehicle manufacturers and owners alike makes them more economically viable to more households. Like a fortune teller looking over their own destiny, Teague also identified energy storage and battery power for homes and businesses.

INDUSTRY

The Oil and Gas Industry Isn’t Done Innovating

POLICY INDUSTRY

LIFESTYLE

36 Mexico’s Big Energy Nationalization Plans 38 The Future of Well-Monitoring is Digital 40 With High-Impact Oil Exploration Returning To the Game with a

62 STEM Education: The Key

42 Nature Controls CO2–Not Man: Op-Ed

SOCIAL

POLICY

64 Pasadena Livestock Show

46 New Solutions in Carbon Capture for Age-Old Problems 50 The Inflation Reduction Act Tackles Methane Emissions

64 ACIT Golf Tournament 66 American Association of

to Improving the American Educational System

Boom, There’s Never Been a Greater Need for Technology Solutions

BUSINESS 54 Most Effective Digital Marketing Tactics and Techniques of 2022 56 What Entrepreneurs Need Most, But Nobody Talks About–and How to Get it

& Rodeo BBQ Cook-Off

Port Authorities (AAPA) conference

Will Permitting Reform Go Forward in December?

BUSINESS

The Deeper Impacts of School Shootings

LIFESTYLE

A Much-Needed Discussion About Mental Health In Oil + Gas

SOCIAL

Citgo’s State of the County SHALEMAG.COM

17-0663 SHALE ad-3Q_FINAL.pdf

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1:29 PM

VOLUME 9 ISSUE 4 • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

KYM BOLADO

CEO/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Suzel Diego PUBLICATION EDITOR Anastasia Zoe Vastakis

Providing energy for the world while staying committed to our values. Finding and producing the oil and natural gas the world needs is what we do. And our commitment to our SPIRIT Values—Safety, People, Integrity, Responsibility, Innovation and Teamwork— is how we do it. That includes caring about the environment and the communities where we live and work – now and into the future. © ConocoPhillips Company. 2017. All rights reserved.

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ASSOCIATE EDITOR David Porter COPY EDITOR Tyler Reed VIDEO CONTENT EDITOR Barry Basse STAFF WRITERS Felicity Bradstock, Tyler Reed, Anastasia Zoe Vastakis DESIGN DIRECTOR Elisa Giordano VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES & MARKETING James Moreno ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES John Collins, Ashley Grimes, Doug Humphreys, Matt Reed SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Courtney Boedeker CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Felicity Bradstock, Richard Chung, Matt Danna, Roel Jansen, Dave Jenkins, Gary Kruse, Ricardo Kruse, Carolina Mozee, Steve Myers, Tyler Reed, Brian Sathianathan, Aniruddha Sharma, Alex Stevens, Tom Tamarkin, Anastasia Zoe Vastakis, Robert Ward STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Malcolm Perez EDITORIAL INTERN LeAnna Castro

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For editorial comments and suggestions, please email editor@shalemag.com. SHALE MAGAZINE OFFICE: 5150 Broadway St., Suite 493, San Antonio, Texas 78209 For general inquiries, call 210.240.7188. Copyright © 2022 Shale Magazine. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the expressed written permission of the publisher is prohibited.

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LETTER FROM THE CEO

WHAT A WAY TO END 2022!

This year has been such a blessing. I have loved the growth we’ve made with our teams and content, but it’s only growing from here. Firstly, I am proud to announce that David Porter, former Texas Railroad Commissioner and Associate Representative for the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission and the Interstate Mining Compact Commission, is the newest editor for SHALE Magazine. We have expanded our team of writers and can now provide an even more diverse range of content for you all. 2023 is going to bring some massive structural changes to SHALE Magazine. We are excited to cover the energy evolution and expand into exploring all areas within the upstream, midst, and downstream. With all of these upcoming changes, we have felt as though we have outgrown our previous image as SHALE Magazine, and will now transition into Energy Network Media Group, also known as EN Media. Thank you so much for reading, and we hope you enjoy this latest issue of SHALE Magazine. Cheers!

KYM BOLADO

CEO/Editor-in-Chief kym@shalemag.com

SHALE MAGAZINE  NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

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SHALE MAGAZINE  NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

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SHALE UPDATE

SHALE PLAY SHORT TAKES Q4 2022 By: Tyler Reed

Bakken Shale – North Dakota/Montana

Oasis Petroleum and Whiting Petroleum have completed their merger to form “Chord Energy Corporation.” The completed merger creates a scaled, unconventional U.S. oil producer within the Bakken Basin, with premier positioning in the Williston Basin and top-tier assets across nearly 1 million net acres. “Chord will execute a focused strategy to enhance value delivery to our shareholders, and maintain a strong commitment to safety, gas capture and emissions reduction,” remarks Chord President and CEO, Danny Brown. For interested investors, Chord’s common stock is being traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market as the ticker symbol “CHRD.”

Denver/Julesberg (DJ) Basin - Colorado

Consolidation is the name of the game in Colorado’s DJ Basin. Soaring inflation and oil prices earlier this year set the pace for a decline in the number of Denver/Julesburg drillers, but upped the M&A game. Civitas just recently finalized its acquisition of Bison Energy and PDC Energy has done the same with Great Western Petroleum. Integrating should help what was once seven operators active in the DJ Basin (now down to two) see better economies of scale and boosted production going forward.

Permian Basin – Texas/New Mexico

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) delivers more good news in the form of a forecast of increased oil production for the Permian Basin in October. The EIA is looking for around 5.413 million bpd for October, which is a solid increase of 66,000 bpd over September’s numbers. Permian also holds the distinction of leading drilled but uncompleted (DUC) wells across seven regions. Permian also saw an increase to 344 drilling records, up 84 rigs in the past year, reversing a trend of declining numbers seen over the past several months, according to Baker Hughes.

SHALE MAGAZINE  NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

Eagle Ford Shale – Texas

Eagle Ford took some bad press in October with methane cuts being hindered by inefficiencies in natural gas flaring. SilverBow Resources, Inc. added around 5,500 net acres to build out its natural gas and oil portfolio in Eagle Ford Shale and Austin Chalk. CEO, Sean Woolverton, says the deal they reached for the additional acreage “provides extended lateral lengths, increased drilling locations and enhanced returns for our optimized development program.”

Marcellus/Utica Shale – Pennsylvania/West Virginia/Ohio

In a weekly high, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia collectively issued some 40 new drilling permits for Marcellus/Utica in early September. With only 19 the week prior, and 30 in the two weeks following, the weekly pop certainly bears thought. In Ohio Utica, Norway’s Equinor just announced its certification for the natural gas it produces following Equitable Origin’s EO100 standard. The EO100 standard for responsible energy sets relatively high requirements for performance in energy development projects.

Haynesville/Bossier Play – Louisiana/East Texas

SCOOP/STACK Play – Oklahoma

Sooner Trend (oil field), Anadarko (basin), Canadian and Kingfisher (STACK) and South Central Oklahoma Oil Province (SCOOP) plays saw the rise of Kolibri Global Energy, which is adding five welldrilling programs. At least two of the wells should be completed in early October with three in the Tishomingo area of the SCOOP play being prepped to be drilled back-to-back. Kolibri has its work cut out for it with majors like Marathon Oil and Devon Energy already realizing big production numbers earlier this year in STACK and SCOOP.

Comstock Resources, Inc. is investing in its Haynesville drilling program with two newly operated rigs being planned to be completed before the end of 2022. Comstock sells gas directly to “every LNG facility in Louisiana,” says CEO Jay Allison. Comstock, an independent based in Frisco, TX, also just deployed its first natural gas-powered fracturing fleet. The deployment saw a 15% reduction in completion costs over traditional dieselfueled fleets on the first two well pads observed, reports COO, Dan Harrison.

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cover story

MEET THE LITHIUM KING

TEAGUE EGAN

SHALE MAGAZINE  NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

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itting fittingly in his Tesla Model S outside a massive 11,000 square foot R&D facility, Teague Egan, the magnanimous, energetic, and exuberant leader of explosive energy-technology start-up, EnergyX, sat down to an exclusive interview for our latest issue focusing on renewables. Behind a laid-back style, Teague’s brilliant mind is hard set on executing an opportunity to reshape the world of electric batteries with a paradigm shift in how the world sources Lithium with a unique process for Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE). With loads of proprietary processes and technology, EnergyX, officially incorporated as Energy Exploration Technologies, Inc., is quietly forging an empire in the booming renewable energy town that Austin, Texas is quickly becoming. Texas, long known for its contributions to oil and gas, has attracted incredible investment in recent years from the likes of Tesla, Meta, Qualcomm, and scores of other technology companies and VC firms. Amidst these, Egan is leading a powerful team of arguably the best minds in the world within the niche of Lithium. Academics and C-Suiters with decades of experience combine in a virtual “who's who” among leading minds in energy and tech within the walls of a company that has only been in existence since 2018. And yet, in that relatively short time, EnergyX has already made waves and garnered global attention from investors (including oil and gas majors), the media, and titans of industry alike. Launching full-scale DLE extraction pilot plants in the field is almost unheard of, and yet, Teague and his team have already completed this challenge and are moving on to bigger and better piloting and demonstration phases. But to understand where this moonshot-turned-Wall Street darling (to date, EnergyX has raised more than $21 million from upwards of 5,000 investors) is heading, we need to know from whence it came.

“I HAVE TO CREATE MY OWN DESTINY” A born entrepreneur following in the footsteps of his father, Teague Egan’s resume certainly is impressive. Egan has been a successful investor in public-sector energy assets and sustainable technologies for close to a decade. He’s founded and managed successful entertainment companies and along the way just so happened to become the inventor of energyDNA, a patented, multi-component graphene textile fiber technology. Further, Teague founded Innovation Factory VC, a venture capital fund prioritizing tech, life sciences, real estate, and consumer products. Sitting idle doesn’t seem to fit with the serial entrepreneur as he continues to build on his many successes with the advent of EnergyX. The idea for EnergyX all started when Egan was traveling in Bolivia. As he ventured across the great salt flats in Salar de Uyuni, something clicked.

SHALE MAGAZINE  NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

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Egan had just completed an Executive Program thesis in exponential technology at Singularity University and was searching for some way to connect his passions for renewable energy and technology. The great salt flats brought that inspiration. Egan observed the age-old methods for extracting Lithium. Presently, this process is either completed using open-pit mining methods, which certainly isn’t environmentally friendly (thus negating some of the benefits of the end-user “going electric”), or via a seemingly archaic method relying on giant evaporation ponds. The ponds are less environmentally-impactful than mining, however, they require enormous tracts of land that are dependent on unabated sunlight to drive the gradual process of evapora-

SHALE MAGAZINE  NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

tion (an average of 18 months) to separate the Lithium, and typically only achieve 30% recovery rates. The ponds can be somewhat unpredictable as they are subject to environmental variables. As such, it can be hard to determine how long a given batch will take to extract. Greater rainfall can dilute the brine, and significantly extend the time required to produce the final product, making this method somewhat tenuous for a supply chain that is poised to create record demand for the “white petroleum” Lithium is quickly becoming. Beyond the environmental impacts of pit mining and the capricious nature of weather affecting evaporation ponds, the problem identified by EnergyX is simple: surging Lithium demand and a massive supply shortage. As of 2020, the world requires around

EGAN IS LEADING A POWERFUL TEAM OF ARGUABLY THE BEST MINDS IN THE WORLD WITHIN THE NICHE OF LITHIUM.

FROM “BRINE TO BATTERY”, ENERGYX IS CHANGING THE GAME WITHIN THE TRADITIONAL LITHIUM SUPPLY CHAIN.

some 300% greater recovery rates than traditional methods. Additional technologies in EnergyX’s portfolio is Lithium Hydroxide, a direct conversion process from brine showing as much as a 40% cost reduction in the material, and the Lithium Metal direct conversion from brine, with an amazing 80% cost reduction. The result is a Lithium-metal solid-state battery with 200% increased energy density that is cheaper and more quickly made. With all of these achievements, one could hardly imagine the incredible difficulties the young company has already faced, and overcome. When asked what’s the biggest challenge EnergyX has faced thus far, Egan replied simply, “too many to list.” Egan went on to explain that the pilot project in Bolivia is perhaps the biggest curveball he’s seen. The pilot project they launched produced incredible results, demonstrating in-field viability, and far exceeding projections. That pilot operated in the field for five full months, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Unfortunately, for the next phase, the Bolivian government used a competitive bidding process and EnergyX turned in the requisite data 10 minutes after the deadline. Egan owns this oversight but hasn’t let it deter him. “I’m a silver linings guy,” he remarked of the setback. So Egan and the team took the good from the situation—namely reams of data that no other company possesses based on an actual real-world application. There may still be an opportunity down the road in Bolivia if officials there have a change of heart and decide to stick with the viable solution EnergyX has already demonstrated. However, EnergyX isn’t sitting idle in the meantime. Already the company is moving at lightning speed towards improved iterations of their highly-successful pilot project for several other customers.

BIGGER, BETTER, FASTER

300,000 tons of Lithium supply per year. With the push for more EVs and sustainability worldwide, that demand is expected to grow to a staggering 5.5 million tons of Lithium each year by 2040. Traditional extraction methods simply are not prepared to meet the forthcoming global demand.

DULCIUS EX ASPERIS: SWEETER AFTER DIFFICULTIES Earlier this year, EnergyX successfully demonstrated a full-scale DLE extraction pilot plant in Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, where Egan first had his “aha” moment. That pilot showed an outstanding 94% Lithium recovery rate and provided scores of actionable, real-world data to implement in subsequent pilot phases. From “Brine to Battery”, EnergyX is changing the game within the traditional Lithium supply chain. DLE shows incredible promise, with

In the fast-forward economy that is lithium, the tech-heavy EnergyX can’t afford to sit on its laurels and instead has focused with renewed vigor on the next round of pilot plants. Five more of these are planned over the next several months in Austin. The demand for DLE is just too great not to move forward as quickly as is feasible. These next five pilots will be even larger than the first, with roughly 6X the size in throughput. Slated for 2023, demonstration plants are in the works that are 10X the size of that. With the first pilot containing an estimated capacity of 3 tons of lithium per year, the next five pilots are slated for around 10-15 tons. The demo plants? Around 100 tons. Once scaled to commercial capacity in 2024-2025, Egan expects to be processing more than 100,000 tons of lithium per year. “I never thought the problem I am trying to solve would become so important so quickly,” Egan says. “We are trying to solve the Lithium supply/demand imbalance.” The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 did well to put EVs in the spotlight and catapulted what was already a changing tide for automakers making the switch to an ever-greater inventory of electric vehicles. Producing Lithium more efficiently and cost-effectively is an opportunity for EnergyX to solve the biggest present bottleneck in the EV revolution, where Lithium is a huge component of the supply chain. The demand being generated presently has magnified the supplyside problem. SHALEMAG.COM

“Lithium refining is like having a license to print money.” - Elon Musk Egan and his team find themselves in an advantageous position to solve this problem. Giant automakers like GM and Ford are already working to secure their supply chains to be able to produce millions of new electric vehicles each year. As a matter of course, you can’t produce an electric car without Lithium. With such a spike in demand, Lithium prices have skyrocketed approximately 800% from $8,000 to $71,000, and producers simply cannot supply enough, quickly enough. Since the Inflation Reduction Act came into force in August, automaker’s around the globe are scrambling to source all the materials to make EVs; securing deals to ensure the critical materials are available to meet what’s expected to be exponential demand in the coming years. And let’s not forget, cars and trucks aren’t the only EVs being developed—the United States’ first all-electric airplane developed by Eviation recently took its prototype for a successful test flight. While not yet commercially viable, the electric plane relies on batteries similar to Tesla, which, you guessed it, require Lithium. This is fundamentally a paradigm shift in an industry that was relatively quiet until just the last few years. “We are disrupting conventional methods for producing Lithium,” says Egan. The demand for the global supply of Lithium simply wasn’t there until EVs became popular and started being produced at scale. Now, with government incentives and changing public sentiment, Lithium is suddenly in the spotlight. “All of a sudden, we need exponential quantities of Lithium,” Egan explains. “Existing methods are not equipped to meet that [demand].” DLE is a whole new way of thinking about how our society produces this sought-after battery metal.

“LITHIUM EXTRACTION NOW IS A HATCHET—WE’RE A CHAINSAW” What Egan observed in Bolivia is what many think of when it comes to Lithium extraction, namely giant evaporation ponds going as far as the eye can see. As mentioned, these ponds can take upwards of 18 months to have the Lithium brine make it through the sequences of ponds to produce Lithium. In the end, producers only recover around 30%, making for a huge loss rate and a lot of operational waste. EnergyX has essentially reinvented the natural evaporative method

SHALE MAGAZINE  NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

WITH OVER 50 PATENTS IN ENERGYX’S PORTFOLIO, THEY ARE LOOKING TO SOLVE ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS ON THE PLANET IN THE COMING YEARS: SUSTAINABLE, SECURE POWER.

to create a mechanical, controlled separation with high recovery rates and shorter production times. This all equates to much-improved economics. With over 50 patents in EnergyX’s portfolio, they are looking to solve one of the biggest problems on the planet in the coming years: sustainable, secure power. Global energy security has been dealt hammer blows with skyrocketing inflation, Putin’s war in Ukraine, supply chain woes, and extreme volatility. When asked how EnergyX is adapting to these changing conditions, Egan responded, “All we can do is focus on executing the task at hand.” The company is laser-focused on developing the technology that helps quicken the production of Lithium. With both the Inflation Reduction Act and the infrastructure bills put out by the Whitehouse, the opportunities are ripe for grants, government support, partnerships, and overall increased demand going forward. EnergyX, therefore, is in a rare position to capitalize on the present opportunities being laid in the laps of those that can solidify themselves as integral parts of the EV supply chain.

PORTFOLIO OF BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGIES EnergyX is developing a broad portfolio of DLE technologies that are completely changing the game. These technologies combine near-instantaneous separation and high recovery rates. One of the hallmarks of these technologies is the EnergyX LiTAS™ technol-

ogy portfolio, standing for Lithium Ion Transport and Separation. Rather than a single product, the LiTAS™ line includes proprietary membranes, solvent extraction technology, as well as ion absorption. These multiple approaches can be used singularly or combined to complete a process of extracting, recovering, separating, and concentrating Lithium to create a pure and concentrated stream of the sought-after alkali metal. Rather than completely replace the traditional method of evaporation ponds, Gen 1 LiTAS™ technologies augment the current process by tying directly into the existing infrastructure at brine sites, truly anywhere

in the world. EnergyX takes the concentrated brine and further processes it to both reduce overhead and improve efficiencies and recovery rate. With a relatively low cost to implement, LiTAS™ presents an extremely viable way to make the switch to DLE through a phased approach. To compare, evaporation ponds presently take around 18 months from start to finish, whereas the LiTAS™ systems can complete the process in just a few days. Remember too, the recovery rates are far superior—as much as 3X greater. Generation 2 allows for deployment to greenfield sites, without ponds, where brine directly from the wellhead is treated and processed. Genera-

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tion 3, or Direct Conversion™, is when the fun really begins with direct from brine to either lithium hydroxide or lithium metal as a direct conversion set-up. A phased approach helps to aid existing infrastructure now while allowing ample time to retrofit existing operations to a pondless future. With environmental, social, and governance (ESG) taking center stage, bear in mind that evaporation ponds require approximately half a million gallons of fresh water per ton of lithium produced. Using so much freshwater to extract the Lithium destined for an EV that’s supposed to be “eco-conscious” is a bit of a dichotomy. Alternatively, EnergyX’s DLE requires just a few hundred gallons. In the end, it’s also about half the cost. At its core, LiTAS™ technology significantly increases the yields of Lithium from the same brines that are already being pumped today. In this way, it has created an environmentally and socially-conscious way to maximize both resource recovery and asset utilization—hall-

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marks of ESG investing. From its inception, EnergyX has made sustainability, global warming, carbon emissions, and its environmental footprint key issues that the company needs to address and manage going forward. The reason behind a portfolio of DLE technologies is simple—no single technology fits all brine types. The LiTAS™ portfolio contains the requisite membranes, solvents, ion exchange, and a host of other direct conversion tech to remain viable across different brines from global customers in various locations. Having technology that is both scalable and modular means greater ease of deployment for miners and producers. The selling point is that these customers can expect greater rates of return for their investment in EnergyX technology and better margins on the Lithium they produce. In fact, LiTAS™ brine extraction costs around $2,500 a ton whereas evaporation can run anywhere from $3,750 to $4,200 a ton. Even further topping the scales is mining which can cost between $4,500 to $8,000

a ton. The advantage EnergyX’s LiTAS™ technology presents is simple: cheaper, faster, and more sustainable Lithium. As for timelines, EnergyX has just completed its initial pilot plant and is actively developing additional units to test. By 2023, the long-awaited demo plant is slated to come online. The demo plant offers two fullsize units within containerized systems. In 2024, full-scale stage one production is slated to begin with a projected 45,000 metric tons per year expected. 2025 sees commercial stage two with up to 150,000 metric tons slated, with 2026 offering the third and final stage of commercialization with a projected 500,000 tons of lithium per year. In case the math eludes you, that’s just four years from now for the full commercialization of EnergyX’s groundbreaking technology. With any other company, where corporate bureaucracy hampers creative innovation, such an aggressive timeline may seem audacious. Seeing how far the company has come since 2018,

HAVING TECHNOLOGY THAT IS BOTH SCALABLE AND MODULAR MEANS GREATER EASE OF DEPLOYMENT FOR MINERS AND PRODUCERS.

with Egan at the helm, and his move fast at all costs motto, EnergyX seems well positioned to reach, if not exceed these goals.

NEXTGENERATION BATTERIES Another breakout is the EnergyX SoLiS™ solid-state lithium metal battery system. Looking forward, improving battery technology is extremely important for increasing the range, cycle life, energy density and charge time of electric vehicles to make them universally viable. Eviation’s electric airplane we mentioned above did, in fact, fly during its test flight. But the current batteries modeled after Tesla’s are in no way viable to carry any

payload through the air. Eviation admits that the final design for its plane will change as development is dependent on the advancement of battery technology. Across the spectrum, multi-modal demand abounds for the types of batteries EnergyX is actively developing. Within their SoLiS™ battery cells, they have proprietary technology that increases the amount of energy that can be stored. The batteries have an EnergyX-original in their solid-state electrolyte technology. The system they developed allows for the use of a lithium metal anode, which is the most efficient way to store the maximum amount of energy in a minimal amount of space. Taking into account space constraints moving forward with electric vehicles, Teague and his team are engineering for the future of energy. As batteries are crucial for the energy revolution, it makes sense that the King of Lithium would also have developed a vastly superior battery system over anything on the market currently.

IS THERE COMPETITION? When asked about competition in their space, Egan was quick to explain, “We were one of the firsts…and we’ve surpassed other startups in terms of development. However, there is no doubt that Lithium refining is a big business, and now we’re seeing companies like Koch, Dupont, and a host of others starting to get into the business through jointventures, partnerships, subsidiaries, and other avenues.” Rather than something to keep Teague and the crew up at night, the beauty of more companies looking to break into the Lithium game lies in the potential to license some of the proprietary technology EnergyX has already developed. Remember that EnergyX has developed a method for protecting its SHALEMAG.COM

intellectual property through a robust patent strategy on its key technologies. In the geopolitical space, China has dominated battery manufacturing for years. The U.S. is trying to play catch up, and Teague sees the recent legislation as positive steps as he positions EnergyX as an integral piece of the Lithium supply chain. The “Lithium Triangle,” composed of Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina, holds some 60-75% of the world’s known Lithium reserves. The new energy economy that’s dependent on Lithium for producing greater numbers of EVs and batteries may make this area what OPEC and the Middle East are to oil. Having already successfully piloted EnergyX in Bolivia, the company certainly has the working knowledge for real-world implementation required to operate in what can be tenuous emerging markets.

IT’S ALL WHO YOU KNOW Beyond technology, EnergyX is developing key relationships with its customers and investors, as well. Lithium producers are shipping brines to EnergyX’s Austin headquarters and engaging in discussions for increasing the number of pilot deployments. Battery manufacturers are looking to test EnergyX’s SoLiS™ solid-state electrolyte and lithium metal anodes with their own active cell materials. Finally, Tier 1 automotive manufacturers are lining up to inquire about LiTAS™ and other mutually beneficial arrangements within their supply chains.

“GOING GREEN” IS ABJECTLY MEANINGLESS WHEN THE PROCESS TO BUILD YOUR VEHICLE IS ANYTHING BUT 26

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With a $450 million investment commitment from Global Emerging Markets Group (GEM) tied to its initial public offering, EnergyX is building a substantial “war chest” (Teague’s words in a recent Reuters interview) from which to scale and develop commercially. But GEM isn’t the only large-scale investor courting EnergyX. These investments and those sourced through several private funding rounds, crowdfunding, and private offerings to retail investors offer a substantial war chest indeed.

THE WAY FORWARD Three years ago, in 2019, and just one year after the company’s inception, Teague Egan sat down to create a 10-year master plan. Strategic plans rarely venture so far into the future but that’s exactly where Teague’s head is at. The problem going forward seems quite simple. The world needs more lithium. More electric vehicles on the road mean greater demand. Incentivizing electric vehicle manufacturers and owners

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT SPACE CONSTRAINTS MOVING FORWARD WITH ELECTRIC VEHICLES, TEAGUE AND HIS TEAM ARE ENGINEERING FOR THE FUTURE OF ENERGY.

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BEYOND THE RISE IN THE NUMBER OF EVERYDAY ITEMS REQUIRING BATTERIES LIES THE NEED FOR ADVANCED CAPACITY.

alike makes them more economically viable to more households. Like a fortune teller looking over their own destiny, Teague also identified energy storage and battery power for homes and businesses. With so many different industries all looking to battery manufacturers (and battery manufacturers, in turn, looking to lithium refiners), the exponential demand growth is already very real. Beyond the rise in the number of everyday items requiring batteries lies the need for advanced capacity. Teague saw that need too, noting the range anxiety and power outages plaguing early adopters of electric vehicles. Long-term goals like the “1000 mile battery” and a “battery that can power a home for a month” are the moonshots that are becoming realities within the hallowed halls of the EnergyX research and development facilities in Austin. As mentioned, Lithium prices are currently through the roof and breaking records. In mid-September, the price per ton was a staggering $71,000 a ton. Prices climb because the demand is so great and production is lacking. The entire supply chain for batteries and electric vehicles is still quite dependent on miners who are not able to keep up with rising global demand using outdated processes. The supply chain woes post-COVID that have snarled markets has affected lithium as well. Even though lithium miners may have huge sway over the supply chain, they aren’t prepared to execute until they modernize and retrofit existing operations. In walks EnergyX. Remember the phased approach where Gen 1 LiTAS™ technology augments existing infrastructure at evaporation ponds? By anticipating the need for early and rapidly developing solutions for improved extraction that’re also sustainable, Egan has expertly positioned EnergyX to deliver the solution the mining industry so desperately needs. The DLE technology in LiTAS™ is undoubtedly a game changer. The piloting of real-world lithium extraction in the field proved, beyond a shadow of doubt, that these systems are not only viable, but they are also vastly superior in many different aspects including recovering 3X the amount of lithium in mere days rather than months, all in a sustainable manner. The world cannot simply identify the need for more EVs as a means to produce greater global sustainability if it relies on age-old extraction technologies like evaporation ponds and pit mining. Rather, world leaders must take on the mentality of Teague Egan. Look to the future and engineer your present to get there. “Going green” is abjectly meaningless when the process to build your vehicle is anything but. LiTAS™ promises not only more sustainability, but greater capacity. Greater capacity means greater supply. Securing the supply chain with advanced technology that replaces the antiquated, inefficient, and unsustainable practices used today ushers in the global energy security our world so desperately needs.

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INDUSTRY

The Oil and Gas Industry Isn’t Done Innovating

merican oil oil and gas companies have been at the forefront of pushing innovation over the past 20 years. Yet strangely, outside of a few small think tanks and industry groups in Washington, we hear very little that is positive about this American success story and the benefits it has provided American energy consumers. The Shale Revolution has been underappreciated by Washington policymakers, to say the least. The Shale Revolution has probably been the single most innovative development in the American economy over the past 20 years. The combination of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, along with a policy environment that enabled the development of such technologies, led to

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an increase in U.S. oil production from 4.9 million bpd in 2007 to 12.9 million barrels per day in 2019. Additionally, the Shale Revolution promoted national security and allowed the U.S. to turn the tables on OPEC. On top of that, economic studies of the Shale Revolution show that there were considerable benefits from shale development, including lower energy prices, increased royalty payments, and higher employment. Yet, just about every week there is a congressional hearing in Washington D.C. devoted to promoting “the energy transition” or towards spurring innovation in the energy sector. Almost universally, these hearings focus on the government’s efforts to promote the development of technologies that remain unaffordable and unreliable for securing our energy needs.

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By: Alex Stevens

The Shale Revolution has probably been the single most innovative development in the American economy over the past 20 years.

The narrative that renewable technologies are cutting-edge and innovative gets repeated in D.C., and those of us who work in energy policy circles hear about it ad nauseam. According to the energy transition narrative, so-called “green” and “renewable” energy will continue to make enormous strides in lowering costs, and, over time, these technologies will replace the sources of energy that we have traditionally relied upon, namely oil and natural gas. One of the assumptions built into this that often goes overlooked in Washington policy circles is the fact that this narrative assumes that the oil and gas industry is no longer capable of innovating in similar ways. But anyone who is remotely familiar with the recent history of the energy industry should immediately be able to identify why this is such a mistake. Although we tend to talk about the Shale Revolution as something that took place in

the recent past, the Shale Revolution isn’t over yet. It has merely shifted to a new phase where shale companies are combining other new technologies to improve the production process. Today, it is clear that the industry remains devoted to pushing new technology, and finding innovative ways to produce oil and natural gas in safe and costeffective ways. For example, the oil and gas industry has been a leader in utilizing the Internet of Things (IoT) across the production process to improve production and ensure safety. New companies are making use of big data and advanced analytics to provide producers with information and new ways to visualize data. The industry has also been a leader in developing artificial intelligence platforms that help upstream companies develop resources as efficiently as possible. New technologies have been developed to help curb some of the industry’s

externalities such as natural gas flaring. Oilfield services companies are constantly innovating to find safer and more cost-efficient methods of exploration and production. Blockchain is increasingly playing a larger role in oil and gas production as various companies have moved to using smart contracts for added security and transparency. Field staff in upstream operations have begun adopting augmented reality technology and wearable computers that help with worker’s safety and decrease downtime issues. Everywhere you look in the oil and gas industry you see innovation. Unfortunately, many policymakers are unlikely to acknowledge the American oil and gas industry as the innovative success story that it is as long as a powerful anti-energy lobby continues to hold sway in Washington. But unlike other parts of the energy industry that are entirely dependent on being in Washington’s good graces to exist, the oil and gas industry just needs to do what it always has done—continue to find innovative ways to produce affordable and reliable energy for American energy consumers. It certainly appears to be on track.

About the author: Alex Stevens is the Manager of Policy and Communications at the Institute for Energy Research. In his role, Alex writes on the relationship between business and government in the energy industry as well as the effects of regulation and subsidies on energy markets.

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INDUSTRY

Mexico’s Big Energy Nationalization Plans By: Felicity Bradstock

of the decision. Forbes wrote “Mexico Moves To Re-Nationalize Energy Markets – A Return To 1938?”, while the Washington Post published an article entitled “AMLO’s Oil Politics Reveal His Obsession with the Past”. Mexico’s energy sector was originally nationalized in 1938 before eventually allowing for greater levels of international investment under the Enrique Peña Nieto administration in 2014. The privatization of Mexican energy shifted reliance away from state-owned oil and gas company PEMEX, which had been declining for decades. This shift has helped to develop the country’s fossil fuel resources significantly. It also led to wide scale job creation, improved energy transportation infrastructure, and led new oil and gas

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ver since coming to office in 2018, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) has been pushing for greater nationalization of the energy sector. AMLO cites over-greedy international energy companies, sectoral corruption, and the need for enhanced national energy security as the main reasons behind the scheme. However, nationalization comes at a cost. This movement is driving away foreign investment and limiting energy sector development to Mexican companies that lack the expertise and equipment to exploit certain resources – such as lithium. AMLO has been criticized for his push for the nationalization of Mexican energy, as various media sources highlight the archaic nature

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Mexico’s populist president AMLO is adamant that nationalizing the country’s energy once again will help the country reduce its reliance on the U.S. and other Western powers while enhancing domestic energy security. discoveries. However, AMLO’s 2021 Electric Power Industry Law effectively undid much of Peña Nieto’s attempt to attract foreign investment and boost the country’s energy development through privatization. Mexico’s populist president AMLO is adamant that nationalizing the country’s energy once again will help the country reduce its reliance on the U.S. and other Western powers while enhancing domestic energy security. In terms of Mexico’s massive crude resources – totaling 5.8 billion barrels of proven reserves in 2020 – AMLO has stated that Mexican oil does not belong to the government or the state but “to the people”. To this end, the Mexican government halted new private oil and gas exploration auctions, putting oil and gas operations back in the hands of PEMEX.

But while Mexico’s refining industry may benefit from nationalization, other sectors will likely suffer.

New reforms also saw national regulators, such as the National Hydrocarbons Commission (CNH) and the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE), which propped up the country’s energy industry for decades, be dissolved. The government also shut down several privately-owned fuel storage terminals last year, and has halted private deepwater operations. Many believe that PEMEX does not have the equipment required for deep-water drilling, meaning that this sector is effectively dead in the water without privatization. Understandably, these moves have been highly criticized. But not all of ALMO’s ideas have been seen as so outlandish. The president makes a point when he compares the act of buying refined Mexican crude from the U.S. to selling oranges to foreign markets and buying their orange juice. Further, his massive push for investment in the country’s refining facilities will likely see a significant boost in Mexico’s refining capabilities. PEMEX’s flagship Dos Bocas refinery is now expected to cost $18 billion and is aimed at massively enhancing the country’s energy self-sufficiency. But while Mexico’s refining industry may benefit from nationalization, other sectors will likely suffer. The Electric Power Industry Law has already thrown the country’s renewable energy sector into turmoil, after focusing so heavily on the development of the fossil fuels industry. As the renewable energy sector is highly privatized – in a mainly corrupt manner, if we are to believe AMLO – Mexico’s regulatory agencies have focused on blocking renewable energy power plants from operating. Instead, they are favoring fossil fuel operations, according to several government officials, analysts, and energy executives. As well as failing to exploit Mexico’s vast solar and wind resources to their full potential, AMLO’s nationalization plan means that other clean energy resources may never be

developed. This is due to the lack of national expertise and inexperience in the field. While Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile are developing the highly coveted ‘lithium triangle’, working hand-in-hand to effectively amplify their lithium resources during a time of extremely high demand, Mexico is failing to evolve its lithium industry. The Mexican senate approved the recent Mining Law for lithium, categorizing it as a “strategic mineral”. Lithium concessions can no longer be given to private companies to mine. But experts have doubts as to whether Mexico will establish a state lithium mining company any time soon, particularly as much of the country’s lithium is held within clay deposits, which makes it extremely expensive and difficult to mine. At a time when the global demand for lithium is higher than ever – thanks to the boom in the battery market – AMLO is turning its back on major investment potential. In addition to a great deal of public and media criticism over AMLO’s approach to energy, in July, the Biden Administration initiated a trade dispute against Mexico for giving preference to its energy firms. The dispute suggests that Mexico is breaking the USMCA trade agreement with the U.S. and Canada by giving priority to electricity produced by the national energy regulator – Comisión Federal de Electricidad, despite prices being higher than private American competitors, and by allowing PEMEX to circumvent certain pollution regulations, as well as for denying and delaying permits while also revoking licenses already granted to private energy firms. While AMLO insists that the nationalization of Mexico’s energy industry will bring greater energy security to the country and decrease its reliance on expensive energy imports, the move has been met with extreme criticism. And the recent trade dispute from the Biden Administration may bring further complications to the government’s energy choices by putting its trade relations in jeopardy.

About the author: Felicity Bradstock is a freelance writer specializing in Energy and Industry. She has a Master’s in International Development from the University of Birmingham, UK, and is now based in Mexico City.

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INDUSTRY

The Future of Well-Monitoring is Digital By: Roel Jansen

in remote areas of the world. Different teams must collaborate, often in dangerous, unpredictable environments. Understandably, site visits to these locations are infrequent. Digital technology can make maintenance and well integrity monitoring simpler and better. Indeed, it already has—in those areas of the world where there’s infrastructure, reliable connectivity, or easy access to wells. With infrastructure, wells can be monitored using wired technologies that provide accurate and up-to-date data. These “wired systems” provide reliable data, so your team can look out for threats in wells, and respond with targeted maintenance. The problem? These wired solutions are expensive. Setting up a wired system takes months and halts production so you can build out the necessary procedures, train your team, and do a lot of testing. This is why they aren’t a realistic solution for most businesses or use cases—especially those in remote areas. Instead, companies are forced to send engineers out to wells every few weeks (or months)

Digital technology can make maintenance and well integrity monitoring simpler and better. to take diagnostic readings. These trips are also expensive: costing between $500 and $40,000, depending on the well location, crew size, and type of trip. So, what are your options if you can’t install a wired connection, or don’t want to send out teams of valuable engineers on hazardous journeys to inhospitable locations? You could use cellular networks, but only if your wells are in a place where there is cellular service. Despite what the wireless carriers

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odern oil companies are going digital. To accomplish that, they are looking for easy-to-install, easy-to-use solutions that solve an immediate problem using cost-effective digital technology. Those three attributes—easy to install, easy to use, and cost-effective—are reshaping well monitoring, and by extension the oil and gas industry as a whole. Well-monitoring may not be exciting, but it’s one of the most important jobs in the business. As the world’s wells age and regulations become stricter, there’s increasing pressure to properly maintain wells. A study by McGill University found that Canada is underestimating methane emissions from its abandoned wells by as much as 150% and that official US emissions estimates are 20% below actual levels. Well-monitoring prevents chronic problems from becoming acute disasters. It keeps your company’s name out of the headlines. But just because it’s important work doesn’t mean it’s easy. In fact, it’s usually hard going, especially

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End-to-End Solutions That Can be Tailored for Any Use Case End-to-end solutions are exactly what they sound like: complete, packaged solutions. They usually include hardware, software, and connectivity. They’re meant to be easy to use, especially once the initial setup is done. This offers several advantages over traditional digitization projects, including: • • • •

As the cost of producing IoT + satellite technology decreases, the number of companies that will develop complete systems and ship them to the market will grow. might say, “global coverage” generally means “coverage in the places where we assume there will be people.” In other words, not where oil wells are located. Remote oil wells are sometimes so remote, there’s no way to connect them using cellular networks. Alternatively, you could use satellites. These do provide connectivity to anywhere on the planet. You can beam up wellhead data directly to the satellite, and in a matter of minutes, you can see that information on a screen on the other side of the world. The catch? Satellite connectivity is expensive because their vendors expect you to transmit tons of data. To get that data, you need a seriously reliable power supply. Another major roadblock with satellites: they can’t cover an entire oilfield. Most satellite technology gives you a gateway-to-sensor range of about 200 meters, which is insufficient for most business cases. The Four Musts of Remote Wellhead Monitoring Let’s imagine that technology has evolved to solve the shortcomings of old-school satellite connectivity. What if the latest digital

satellite technology could offer a safer path forward while saving money and meeting the most practical business needs? What essential criteria should we look for? 1. It must be efficient. 2. It must be affordable. 3. Global coverage should be a guarantee. 4. My use case should be supported. In recent years, satellite technology, IoT technology, and processor miniaturization have converged to enable a new generation of satellite connectivity. This has broad and important implications for oil and gas worksites where there is no connectivity. The latest satellite technologies are already bringing limited—but reliable—connectivity to remote areas of the world. And while the current technology can’t let you stream video, it’s certainly sufficient bandwidth to enable the collection of key operational data from a remote wellhead. Today’s satellite technology has the potential to transform the industry by enabling cost-effective digitalization of wellheads and pipelines.

Ease of installation Simplicity Cost reduction More powerful insights

Most digital transformation projects indeed involve expensive consultants, specialized talent, and long, frustrating installation periods. But it doesn’t have to be that way. As the cost of producing IoT + satellite technology decreases, the number of companies that will develop complete systems and ship them to the market will grow. This ultimately means that your business will have access to easier solutions for big problems. If you need to monitor something, you can buy a kit in the mail that your team can install, set up, and start using in a matter of weeks. Meaningful digitalization is bringing exciting possibilities to the world of oil and gas — especially well monitoring. The things that have been true about well monitoring in the past: it’s prohibitively expensive, it must be done manually (often, in dangerous circumstances), and the technologies trying to digitize it aren’t ready yet to serve me, are no longer true. Now, thanks to these innovations, you can monitor your wells from anywhere in the world, all while saving considerable costs. Tomorrow’s oil companies are intent on digitally transforming their field operations. They expect more from their well-monitoring technologies. And some are already reaping the benefits of today’s advanced technologies.

About the author: Roel Jansen is the CEO of Hiber. Hiber’s mission is connecting everything everywhere to deliver productivity and sustainability in global IoT. Hiber has launched the world’s first global IoT satellite network to deliver cost-effective, easy-to-use end-to-end products, including HiberHilo for oil and gas well-integrity monitoring and HiberHeavy for heavy equipment monitoring. Contact Roel at roel@hiber.global.

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INDUSTRY

With High-Impact Oil Exploration Returning To the Game with a Boom, There’s Never Been a Greater Need for Technology Solutions By: Matt Danna, Senior Director of Product Strategy at ServiceMax

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can return profits at lower prices once they are up and running. According to Reuters, the deep offshore projects could yield oil for decades and at lower breakeven costs when the rig is pumping due to the sheer scale of the vast developments. When it comes to drilling in the oil and gas industry, there are always inherent risks, so with the expansion of offshore drilling, it is a critical mission to have effective field support, which will lead to better service execution. This translates to a need for digital alignment – a purpose for technology and a framework for the application. The benefits of technology solutions, including advanced end-to-end enterprise asset management (EAM) solutions, can ensure maximum availability, reliability, and performance in the field. Managing maintenance remotely Drilling offshore can present its own set of unique risks, including heavy and dangerous equipment miles from shore. Keeping rig workers safe means providing in-depth training on

Preventive maintenance will always be a better route than reactive maintenance. equipment use and maintaining all equipment assets to ensure they are safe to work with. To properly maintain these assets, there must be a clear picture of their historical condition, status and location. EAM solutions are critical to keeping assets operational. They provide process and intelligence for physical assets that can bring increased equipment reliability, routine preventive and predictive maintenance and efficient inventory management. Offshore workers and technicians often perform equip-

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igh-impact oil exploration has returned to the scene following a bleak 2021, which saw a relatively low success rate in discovering new oil and gas resources. In fact, it was one of the lowest on record. But this year is seeing a much higher success rate with high-impact offshore drilling returning to the game. Right now, amid an apparent unprecedented energy crisis unfolding, it makes sense that exploration, development and production (E&P) companies will be plowing forward with new projects that could pump oil for years. Just this year, E&P firms discovered more than 1.7 billion barrels of oil equivalent at high-impact wells. That number is quadruple what was discovered for the entire 2021 year. At this rate, global spending in offshore oil and gas engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) is expected to total out to around $276 billion between 2022 and 2026 – a 71% increase. While offshore production sites can be more expensive to build than onshore, they

Keeping rig workers safe means providing in-depth training on equipment use and maintaining all equipment assets to ensure they are safe to work with. solution can make the data actionable. It can also make a report on any data point within the solution, which means field data from tickets, financial data from an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and costing data from a maintenance system can be readily available. This gives O&G managers a complete view of operations and valuable insight into every critical business detail.

ment maintenance and repairs using hand-held devices that might not be Wi-Fi enabled, resulting in a lack of access to job-specific information. Utilizing end-to-end EAM solutions that tie field processes to equipment maintenance is a more efficient way of managing the care of assets in remote locations. The use of EAM solutions also simplifies the execution of work orders by providing work order templates at the asset or asset category level – online or offline – for each designated job. These templates can include parts, forms, labor, direction and predicted cost and are easily configurable to reflect a rig’s current processes, allowing for successful user adoption. Not only are files and documents easily managed and attached to work orders, but managers can compare forecasted costs to actual costs, giving a clearer view of maintenance spending metrics. This lends itself to a more strategic approach to planning through data collection. Preventive maintenance will always be a better route than reactive maintenance. When

performed regularly, it improves performance, reduces downtime, provides greater visibility into projected costs, and increases service quality. EAM solutions provide process intelligence to preventive maintenance through a calendar, equipment meters, event-based schedules, and detailed work instructions. This is a critical part of business, including having a clear view of which pieces of equipment are available and where they are located. Knowing whether an asset has been properly maintained or is due for service greatly enhances the scheduling of assets – enabling strategic planning for parts and labor and facilitating compliance and reporting. Integrating and reporting the data Integrating data is necessary for any company going through a digital transformation, as nearly any company with field service workers must be able to transfer data in and out of their field operations management platform. Because companies often require this vital data to feed in from other locations, an EAM

Supporting growth for the long haul Working on oil rigs comes with many risks and hazards unique to offshore drilling. No O&G company can afford to run these rigs with antiquated technology. The work is too important and dangerous. Implementing an end-to-end EAM solution can ensure any and every task, including all preventive maintenance, is done in a way that ensures maximum safety, reliability and performance in the field. This approach to field support fulfills the need for digital alignment, with a framework for the application and focus of new technology that will support a safer environment for oil rig workers, ultimately leading to better service execution.

About the author: Matt Danna is the Senior Director of Product Strategy at ServiceMax and has worked in software for over 25 years. Mr. Danna’s background brings a depth of knowledge in software engineering, sales engineering, and product management. He primarily works with customers, key stakeholders, implementation managers, account executives, and developers to ensure alignment across all parties.

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INDUSTRY

Nature Controls CO2– Not Man: Op-Ed By: Tom Tamarkin

“The net amount of equilibrated carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is the same as if human beings never existed. Climate Change is a natural phenomenon, and not manmade.”

n March 19, 2020, the State of California became the first state to issue a stay-at-home order, mandating all residents stay at home except to go to an essential job or shop for basic needs. Within weeks most of the world followed. For the next three months total energy use across all sectors…transportation, industrial, commercial, and residential…plummeted by over 15% thereafter rising slowly in bursts and spats.

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The effect was both shocking and predictable. The marked reduction of fossil fuel use had no effect on the Keeling Curve which continued its virtual 45% upward slope on the highly exaggerated chart expressed as parts per million per year. This was wholly consistent with our findings over the previous 10 years as developing countries increased fossil use with no corresponding change of CO2 as reflected in this curve.

Notice on the upward-slopping blue bar line of the Keeling curve in figure 2, the jagged “sawtooth” line. This jagged sawtooth waveform represents the seasonal variations of CO2 as affected by plant growth on land and sea. This is a function of the Earth’s elliptical orbit around the Sun and its 23.5-degree axial tilt.

1. Our scientists took the raw NOAA Mauna Loa data for daily CO2 tests and filled in data points for days with missing data using standard interpolation methods. 2. Then they transformed the CO2 ppm concentration versus time data into the frequency domain, like a continuous spectrum of light or radio frequencies. This provides nearly unlimited resolution. 3. Then they notch filtered to remove resonances and seasonal cycles such as the shark’s teeth. 4. Then they low-pass filtered out all frequencies above a specified frequency to remove random noise spikes. 5. Then they reconstructed the data again as CO2 ppm concentration versus time and cleaned the CO2 time signal. 6. They calculated these data as the time derivative of CO2 concentration. This is the rate of change of CO2 ppm concentration. It is like the speed or velocity of a car. 7. Then, they drilled into this data to look at the time window beginning about a year before the Pinatubo volcano eruption of June 15, 1991, and a few years after the eruption. What we proved was that:

Close inspection of this saw tooth-like variance in CO2 shows roughly 10 parts per million (ppm) variation between the minimum and maximum as affected by sunlight and plant life distribution. This is far more than the 3 ppm increase in CO2 that the climate alarmist community claim is caused by man’s use of fossil fuels. To me, this was the “smoking gun” showing that these claims of fossil fuel increasing total CO2 were false and without merit! In collaboration with Mr. Bud Bromley, and with the kind financial support of actor/singer Pat Boone, we engaged two Stanford-educated Ph.D.s, Dr. Shahar Ben-Menahem a physicist, and Dr. Abraham Ishihara, a high-level mathematician and control theory expert, to design an experiment using the Mauna Lao Keeling data which is considered by all leading scientists as the “gold standard” of the available CO2 monitoring data sets.

1. The NOAA-Scripps “Keeling curve” dataset from Mauna Loa is responsive to CO2 changes even though the event causing those changes is physically remote, thousands of miles away from the NOAA measurement site on Mauna Loa in Hawaii. We now know this NOAA data will be sufficient for further data science. Confirming this was one of the primary purposes of our first phase of work. 2. Our results confirm that human CO2 emissions are insignificant compared to the net global average CO2 concentration. We demonstrate this by simple calculations in our written publication of the results of this Pinatubo study and 2 addenda. 3. The software and method we used is sensitive to changes in the CO2 daily records from Mauna Loa and well suited for further research.

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4. This first phase of our study is consistent with Henry’s Law in conjunction with the Law of Mass Action, Le Chatelier’s Principle, Graham’s Law, and Fick’s Law. CO2 concentrations in air, ocean, soil, and biosphere began to rapidly re-equilibrate to the cooler Earth surface caused by reduced insolation due to the cloud belt. As the cloud belt dissipated and the surface warmed, CO2 concentrations rapidly re-equilibrated. 5. Following Henry’s Law, human-produced CO2 can only temporarily change CO2 concentration in the air and ocean surface. Our results, confirming NOAA-Scripps results, suggest that human CO2 emissions are a temporary perturbation to an ongoing CO2 trend, like the perturbation caused by the Pinatubo volcanic eruption and its aftermath, but much smaller. Perturbation by human emissions will be rapidly returned to the CO2 trend. CO2 concentration in air is controlled by the CO2 solubility on the water’s surface. More than 90% of Earth’s water is in the ocean, and the ocean is 70% of earth’s surface. 6. The solubility of any gas in any liquid is an intensive property of matter, like a boiling point, or a specific heat. Intensive properties of matter are not a function of the amount of material present. Instead, the solubility and diffusivity of a gas in a liquid are a property of the matter itself; in this case, the diffusivity of CO2 is a function of the molecular weight of CO2. Adding more CO2 to the air, whether done by a volcano, humans, or decaying biological material, does not change the ratio of CO2 gas concentration on the ocean’s surface versus CO2 gas concentration in the air above that surface, this is Henry’s Law. Surface temperature does change that ratio. 7. Solubility or diffusivity of a gas in a liquid depends on the surface temperature and the molecular weight of the gas, not on the amount of the gas or the source of the gas. The diffusivity of a gas in a liquid is inversely proportional to the square root of the molecular weight of the gas; this is Graham’s Law. 8. Many variables affect surface temperature, some are systematic like Earth’s orbital distance from the sun, and other variables may be chaotic, such as ocean and air currents, storms, humidity and clouds. The bottom-line results of our experiment and analysis of the NOAA Scrips Keeling data conclusively proves that “the net amount of equilibrated carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is the same as if human beings never existed.” Climate Change is a natural phenomenon, and not manmade. Let that sink in. The total net amount of CO2 in our atmosphere today is no more or no less than if humans never existed on our planet. Why does the Keeling curve show an increase of roughly 3 parts per million (ppm) per year? The causes of such a small annual increase in CO2, if true, are unknown and theoretical. There are several possible causes, but 3 ppm is an annual increase in CO2 of only 0.0003% of the total CO2 in the atmosphere, an amount so small it cannot be distinguished in the open air from random measurement noise. Your exhaled breath is about 4% CO2, and higher if you are exercising. Systematic or random perturbations in sea surface temperature and/or humidity, underwater volcanoes, cyclical deep ocean currents dense with CO2 rising to the sea surface, movements of planetary bodies including the Sun and large planets, destruction of photosynthesizing plants and plankton, are among possible causes, and each of these has multiple possible causes. And yet only today the New York Times writes Hurricane Ian “rapidly transformed from a relatively weak storm into a strong one, a phenomenon that has become more common due to climate change. Ian embodies several of the major hurricane trends in recent years, as the world copes with the effects of climate change.” Indeed, Ian was devastating, but well within the bounds of natural variability. Two days ago, the Vatican released a new documentary on climate change based on what it calls the “reckless new use of fossil fuels.” through Cardinal Czerny, and calls for “zero emissions” by 2050. Only a few weeks ago, Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib tried to browbeat the nation’s largest bank CEOs into not lending to oil and gas

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companies. Thankfully, and correctly, JP Morgan Chase’s CEO, Jamie Dimon, responded to the Congresswomen when asked if Chase would cease lending to energy companies as follows: “Absolutely not. That would be the road to hell for America.” In a recent private exchange with Dr. Richard S. Lindzen, Professor Emeritus, Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and author of over 200 scientific papers and books on the atmosphere, I pointed out that the climate change farce drivers are purely financial and political. The science is clearly on our side. Of course, I was preaching to the Choir. Dr. Lindzen points out: “…the importance in the propaganda of establishing the narrative (i.e., the accepted storyline). One of the more subtle techniques is to pepper the narrative (climate change is caused by man) with many dubious features. This may seem counterintuitive. However, by doing so, one diverts attention from the narrative’s larger framework. People immediately attack these dubious features while leaving the larger narrative untouched. He offers us this sage advice: “Stop treating AGW…human-caused global warming/climate change…as a worthy opponent. Do not ascribe reasonableness to the other side. It is not reasonable, not true, and not even plausible.” This message and these facts must be brought to the people. Only then can the political establishment be jarred into reality. Perhaps we should start with religious leaders in the Christian and Jewish communities. Thought-provoking articles about this subject and our study such as those published this week by the Times of Israel by Israeli-American Rabbi Avraham Schwartz pave the way. Please go to pinatubostudy.com for a complete glossary of all technical terms used herein, and links to all the references as well as bios on our team. The complete scientific paper concerning our study along with a video lecture by Bud Bromley introduced by me with my concluding remarks may also be found there. Additional addendums and works at: climatecite.com.

About the author: In 1971 Tom received the nation’s highest honor for high school students in the field of physics for his work in nuclear magnetic resonance. He did his undergraduate studies in physics, with a dual minor in math and chemistry, at N A U in the 1971-75 timeframe. He has been in the energy generation and utility industry since 1985. Tom was the inventor of electric utility energy conservation instrumentation and measurement devices. He has been granted seven patents in the U.S., Israel, Europe, & China. In the U.S. alone his patents are practiced by the nation’s largest utility companies on over 90 million installed devices. Tom spends roughly ½ of his “working time” lecturing, writing articles, and working with prominent Ph.D. level scientists. In 2019 Tom formed ClimateCite, Corp., a U.S. IRS 501(c)(3) compliant not-for-profit company to further his efforts in defeating the climate hoax worldwide. Tom married his wife, Emily J. Tamarkin in 1982 and the two of them live together in Carmichael, California. They have one son, Jeremy A. Tamarkin.

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POLICY

New Solutions in Carbon Capture for Age-Old Problems By: Aniruddha Sharma, Chair and CEO of Carbon Clean

he Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), recently signed into law by President Biden, is a wide-reaching piece of legislation that includes the largest climate investment ever made by Congress. With $369 billion allocated for cutting emissions, developing clean energy technology, and advancing environmental initiatives, the IRA is projected to reduce the country’s carbon emissions by around 40% by 2030. Currently, 30% of global emissions are from hard-to-abate industrial sources, such as cement, steel, refineries, and energy from waste, and the industrial and power generation sectors together make up around half of U.S. emissions. Any comprehensive undertaking to curb carbon emissions and tackle climate change in the country must involve capping the emissions coming from these traditional heavy industries. However, for many of these industries, there are few currently available options to decarbonize. This is where carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) comes in. Post-combustion, point source carbon capture, in particular, will be crucial to achieving the IRA’s goals, as it is often the only realistic means of decarbonizing certain heavy industries, especially for those industries with significant process emissions (where CO2 is released from chemical reactions in the manufacturing process e.g. cement). But the rollout of CCUS projects has been slow, primarily due to the high costs of conventional carbon capture, and the uncertainty that so often exists in new markets. This is where the IRA will play a significant role. The IRA provides both the necessary financial incentives and market certainty that are required to develop the projects, transportation, and storage needed for a thriving industrial carbon capture sector. Of particular note are the substantial increases in the availability of 45Q credits – the federal income tax credit program available for domestic CCUS projects. Other changes include: • Allowing companies with smaller tax liabilities to take advantage of 45Q by permitting the tax credit to be collected as a direct cash payment, rather than a tax deduction, for the first five years that a project operates. • Dramatically lowering the total amount of CO2 that a project must capture each year to qualify for the tax credits. • Extending the deadline to begin construction on 45Q credit-eligible projects from 2026 to 2033. These changes will stimulate innovation and the necessary scaling of the carbon capture sector in the coming decade. For example, lowering tonnage thresholds will improve the investment opportunity

Any comprehensive undertaking to curb carbon emissions and tackle climate change in the country must involve capping the emissions coming from these traditional heavy industries. BLUE PLANET STUDIO, TADA IMAGES/STOCK.ADOBE.COM

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by incentivizing larger investments and attracting new investors to smaller projects. (Previously, only the largest carbonemitting projects could meet the capture requirements.) While the tax credit alone won’t support the necessary R&D, it will serve as a catalyst, attracting the private investment that is needed to rapidly scale the development of carbon capture, utilization, and storage solutions. The IRA also conditions the availability of the enhanced 45Q credits on satisfying wage and apprenticeship requirements, essentially guaranteeing that these projects provide well-paying jobs and training opportunities. Many of the traditional industries that can decarbonize using carbon capture technology, employ millions of people across the United States, including the domestic oil and natural gas industry which supports nearly 10 million jobs alone (5.6 percent of total U.S. employment). With the IRA’s help, the deployment of carbon capture solutions will not simply preserve jobs for working families in essential industries but generate great career opportunities for people in this newly thriving clean tech sector. Taken alone, these changes are a monumental win for a burgeoning industry committed to aiding the country’s energy transition. However, the IRA’s passage also coincides with a remarkable shift within the carbon capture sector. The sector has so far been dominated by large, bespoke, and expensive plants, which have made carbon capture challenging for the majority of companies. But a new generation

of cost-effective, standardized, and modular units is being developed that will dramatically reduce the costs of carbon capture. Carbon Clean is leading this shift towards compact carbon capture. Our technology has already been proven at scale in over 44 sites around the world. A year ago, we launched our groundbreaking CycloneCC technology – a fully modular, prefabricated, and skid-mounted carbon capture solution. CycloneCC will reduce the overall cost of carbon capture by up to 50% and has a footprint that is up to five times smaller than conventional units – crucial for many industrial companies that have almost no space available to retrofit carbon capture technology on site. We are currently commercializing CycloneCC with partners, including projects in the U.S. with Chevron and CEMEX. Chevron was the lead investor in our recent $150m Series C funding round and is a key strategic partner for us, with a strong shared understanding of the potential for modular carbon capture technology to deliver for American industries. There is already an uptick in carbon capture projects globally: over 100 new facilities were announced in 2021, and many companies are considering how carbon capture could work for them. Our recent refineries survey, for example, found that 55% of respondents intend to install a CCUS system in the next decade. A 2021 survey of executives working in hard-to-abate industries found that 65% see CCUS as ‘critical’ or ‘important’ for reaching their 2030/2050 goals and 60% have CCUS adoption plans for the next decade. The IRA will build on this momentum, fostering vital projects that will support CCUS innovation at exactly the right time. This summer’s passage of the federal funding package was a historic accomplishment, and not just for obvious reasons. The IRA has made the country one of the best places in the world to develop industrial carbon capture projects. In doing so, it will ensure the U.S. is also at the forefront of a new era for carbon capture – protecting and creating jobs, as well as mitigating climate change.

About the author: Aniruddha Sharma is Chair and CEO of Carbon Clean – a leading provider of point source carbon capture solutions for hard-toabate industries such as cement, steel, refineries and energy from waste. Aniruddha has been instrumental in developing the company into a global leader in the carbon capture sector, with a relentless focus on innovation.

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POLICY

Will Permitting Reform Go Forward in December? By: Gary Kruse

In late August, Senators Schumer and Manchin announced an agreement on a massive bill titled the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) — a slimmed-down version of the Build Back Better (BBB) bill Democrats had been negotiating since President Biden took office. The primary focus of the tax incentives in the bill was pitched by Democrats as “the single biggest climate investment in U.S. history” to put the United States “on a path to roughly 40% emissions reduction by 2030.” Senator Manchin opposed the BBB but agreed to back the IRA with one condition — support by the President, Senator Schumer and Speaker Pelosi for a permitting reform bill. Senator Manchin knew passing such a bill separately would be difficult, so he also got an agreement to attach the bill to a must-pass piece of legislation by the end of the year. The first bill was the continuing resolution to fund the federal government through December 16, 2022. But, an odd coalition of progressive Democrats and Senate Republicans formed to oppose the inclusion of the reform provisions as part of that legislation. The next opportunity will be to try including the language in one of the appropriation bills — most likely the Defense

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appropriations bill — which needs to be passed by Congress by the December 16 deadline in the continuing resolution. The only bill that can survive a potential change in administration is one with bipartisan support. Legislators on both sides of the aisle have expressed a desire for permitting reform measures, but also opposition to terms set forth by the other party. Whether there’s enough common ground remains to be proven. Where Does Senator Manchin’s Bill Go Now? Senate Republicans opposed an initial term sheet, an early draft, and also the final version of Senator Manchin’s bill, which he called the “Energy Independence and Security Act of 2022.” However, just a few days before its release, Republican Senator Capito from West Virginia released language for her own permitting reform bill. Senator Capito’s bill was titled the “Simplify Timelines and Assure Regulatory Transparency Act’’ or the ‘‘START Act.” The two bills have some areas of overlap, and following the withdrawal of Senator Manchin’s bill from the continuing resolution, Senator Capito expressed her desire to continue working on permitting reform, as did other Senate Republicans — including Senator Cornyn of Texas – another key oil and gas producing state. Neither bill is a cure-all for challenges experienced by oil and gas project developers, and Senator Manchin’s may do more for advancing the buildout of electric transmission needed to support the renewable generation incentivized by the Inflation Reduction Act. So, in the same way, an odd coalition initially opposed Senator Manchin’s bill, it’s also possible a similar bipartisan coalition may

Continued polarization is the greatest enemy of our nation’s energy security.

be able to pass a version of the permitting reform this December. What Provisions in the Two Bills May Generate Bipartisan Support? NEPA Reform Both bills include amendments to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) — the statute which requires the preparation of either an Environmental Assessment (EA) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for almost every major energy project. The bills overlap in their attempts to set time frames for the preparation of these assessments. Senator Capito’s version sets a strict limit of two years for all reviews, whereas Senator Manchin’s requires an average to be met, one year for EAs and two years for EISs. Both approaches have pros and cons, but there appears to be enough common ground to garner bipartisan support for NEPA reform. Clean Water Act Reform Senator Capito’s bill includes amendments to the Clean Water Act designed to codify as law a number of regulatory actions taken by the Trump administration in its last year in office. Senator Manchin’s bill has a far more limited set of reforms, essentially amending the law to incorporate interpretation of federal court decisions from around the country which are not applicable nationwide. However, this provision was struck due to the language that was added to the continuing resolution — before the entire bill was pulled. No official explanation for this exclusion was given, but it may indicate that even limited changes to the Clean Water Act will not be able to gain bipartisan support. Judicial Review Before he introduced his bill language, Senator Manchin released a term sheet identifying its intended components. One of those terms was for setting a “statute of limitations for court challenges,” but no such provision appeared in the final bill. However, Senator

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Perhaps the best chance to pass a permitting reform was recently lost when what originally was a bipartisan effort became about payback partisan politics. Continued polarization is the greatest enemy of our nation’s energy security. Flip-flopping between political and ideological extremes makes a long-term investment in any type of energy infrastructure — traditional or renewable — risky at best and impossible at worst.

Capito’s bill would require that any challenge to any energy project permit or approval be filed with the courts no later than sixty days after the decision. The absence of such a provision in Senator Manchin’s bill is problematic, but the fact it was included in his term sheet may mean it could be resurrected in a future bipartisan bill. Expediting Completion of Mountain Valley Pipeline Both bills included very similar provisions directing the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline project. Senator Manchin’s language was a bit more robust than Senator Capito’s, and so there’s reason to believe some version of this language will be able to gain bipartisan support. Other Provisions The two bills address a number of other aspects of permitting reform all of which may be problematic for one or the other party but may be essential for the bill to gain bipartisan support. In particular, Senator Manchin’s bill is lauded by some environmental groups and progressive Democrats because it would benefit the expansion of electric transmission — essential to a return on the investments for a renewable generation made by the Inflation Reduction Act. On the flip side, Senator Capito’s bill had a provision appealing exclusively to Republicans that would benefit the oil and gas exploration and production industries. Whether any or all of these measures have a chance of surviving in a bipartisan deal likely turns on how the overall balance is struck

between favor of renewables and traditional energy sources. Polarization is the Enemy of Progress The Inflation Reduction Act was passed on party-line votes in both the Senate and the House. Almost immediately following, representatives and legislators on both sides of the aisle made it clear they had no intention of passing a subsequent bill to reform the permitting process. Progressive Democrats and environmental purists, ignoring the fact renewable projects have long been subject to regulatory and litigation delays, staunchly opposed any provisions supporting traditional energy infrastructure. Republican opposition appeared mostly to spite Senator Manchin’s support of the IRA, and because they believed his reforms were not sufficient to address the problems faced by the traditional energy industry. Following the removal of Manchin’s lan-

guage from the continuing resolution, Senator Schumer indicated he would attach it to the Defense appropriations bill expected to be approved in December. Senator Capito also noted she was willing to continue working on permitting reform in this Congress or the next, because “even if it’s a new Congress, and even if Republicans take over, we still need to have a bipartisan product here in the United States Senate.” But Senator Kramer (R-N.D.) offered an opposing and less optimistic perspective: he doubts Manchin could possibly alter the bill in a way that satisfies more Republicans and won’t put off more Democrats, “but of course, if we made it a bill that would really be useful, it’s hard to see how Democrats could ever support it.” Decisions over the next three months will likely dictate the next two to ten years for commercial teams across the entire energy industry. For now, we wait on pins and needles.

About the author: Gary Kruse is Managing Director of Research for Arbo, an energy regulatory intelligence data, software and services provider to pipelines, producers, policy-makers, and trading houses. Gary is a foremost expert on the intersecting impact of regulatory, litigation and permitting complexities, and market dynamics on energy infrastructure development and operation. His unique ability to infuse data and quantitative analysis with context from economic, political, and market trends make his insights and viewpoints highly sought by executive, policy, and trading decision-makers seeking to confidently deploy capital, minimize risk, and maximize returns. Gary has decades of experience as an energy industry attorney, is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, and received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from the University of Dayton.

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POLICY

The Inflation Reduction Act Tackles Methane Emissions

here’s a lot of talk about tackling climate change these days. If you listen to the media, you’d think that the solution is to electrify everything, but that’s meaningless if you do not have access to a clean, efficient, sustainable, low-cost way of generating electricity. However, not everywhere has adequate wind or sun resources, and with over 315 wind project rejections since 2015, and neither of those two being “available on demand”, natural gas is the only viable option for the foreseeable future. The goal, then, is to produce natural gas as cleanly as possible. One long-proposed solution for reducing CO2 emissions in the United States is setting a price on carbon. But efforts to create a national carbon cap-and-trade or tax regime have proved fruitless, although there is a vocal and powerful activist movement intended to force coal plants to close, and many have. Of course, the actors most responsible for discharging CO2 are easily identified and widely known: planes, trains, and automobiles; power plants; heavy industry; commercial and light industrial operations; and agriculture, in that order, using US EPA 2020

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figures. There’s truth here; recent estimates from the US EPA are that CO2 accounts for up to 80% of all greenhouse gas emissions. But, there’s a vastly more potent greenhouse gas contributing to climate change that gets much less notice or discussion: methane. Methane, in fact, has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of up to ~25x that of CO2 over 100 years according to the EPA, and 86x over 20 years. And while there’s some disagreement over which sector is the larger methane contributor—many databases claim agriculture is the worst, followed by emissions from the oil and gas sectors—there’s no avoiding that methane is an issue. Ironically, though, while the White House is ostensibly “laserfocused” on curbing rampant inflation, and President Biden recently signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), many large provisions and considerable funding within the bill are directed solely toward fighting climate change. One such provision is the first-ever federal fee on “excess” methane emissions. This fee will take place on or after January 1, 2024, based on certain baseline calculations and allowable exemptions. Within the oil and gas sector, using 2019 figures, EPA lists the

largest methane emitters as gas production at 41%; oil production at 19%; transmission and storage at 19%; distribution at 7%; processing at 6%; post-meter emissions at 5%; and abandoned wells, 3%. As for the fees themselves, the IRA methane emissions charge starts at $900 per metric ton of methane, increasing to $1,200 in 2025, and to $1,500 in 2026 and beyond. Notably, the IRA also “fixes” difficulties arising from the Supreme Court’s June 30 ruling that nullified the Obama-era Clean Power Plan, and codifies greenhouse gasses as “pollutants.” These excess emission fees will apply only to methane emissions from specific types of oil and gas facilities required to report their emissions under EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting Program (GHGRP). And fees would apply specifically to petroleum and natural gas system facilities required to report GHG emissions under 40 CFR Part 98, Subpart W, or facilities emitting 25,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent or more each year. Among others, facility types will include off- and onshore petroleum and natural gas production and compression for transmission; LNG storage as well as import and export

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By: Robert Ward

EPA will also examine greenhouse gas reporting rules specifically for petroleum and natural gas systems.

equipment; underground natural gas storage; and onshore natural gas transmission and petroleum gathering and boosting. Interestingly, the emission thresholds depend on the type of facility, and some details have yet to be worked out, but EPA plans to issue a supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) shortly and a final rule in May 2023. Meanwhile, the EPA will have to finalize the methane emission rule proposed last year to provide a safe harbor for exemption from the requirements that the rule would have imposed, in favor of the new rules. The EPA will also examine greenhouse gas reporting rules specifically for petroleum and natural gas systems. This is to ensure they are based on verifiable “empirical data.” The Act even includes $850 million in funding for grants, rebates, and loans to support facilities in preparing and submitting monitoring reports and provide assistance with acquiring technologies that reduce methane emissions from petroleum and natural gas systems. Of course, what constitutes “empirical data” here is key in both understanding and complying with the new rules, and in determining the extent of methane emissions to which the rules will start applying to in 2024. Although methane rules proposed last year will [almost certainly] be superseded by the final rules in the Inflation Reduction Act, new technologies based on the principles of continuous monitoring, accurate detection and quantification, root cause analysis, and augmented-reality imaging, already are making a world of difference. And there is no paucity of targets. Last year, the EPA estimated that a massive number of facilities would fall under the then-proposed rules: about 280,000 oil and gas wells, including central processing facilities and tank batteries; more than 3,500 gathering and boosting stations; 2,000 natural gas processing plants; and 1,900 transmission and storage compressor stations. Parallel rules from Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) would cover thousands of transmission and distribution pipelines, and associated pipeline facilities, as well as some gathering pipelines. Expectations for VRU (Vapor Recovery Units) capable of reliably handling peak production capacity are promising, given that initial production rates at new

wells are typically far higher than in subsequent months. Optical Gas Inspection (OGI) requirements and intervals for upstream sites are currently based on expected production volumes but as anticipated previously, EPA rules will likely focus on the number of pieces of equipment installed on a site, regardless of production volumes. That is because surveys show that site emissions are primarily correlated to the number and type of equipment that can potentially fail and emit, not to the production volume. So, the most accurate approach is to calculate the “potential to emit” for every site, based on equipment counts and emissions factors. In practice, almost all sites that consist of more than a wellhead will fall under one of the several OGI inspection requirements. The EPA estimated this to be about 300,000 upstream sites—with the remainder being marginal production sites with single wellheads. To meet the number of inspections anticipated, the oil and gas industry will likely have to hire and train thousands of additional OGI inspectors to meet the requirements of the final rules, as well as identify and adopt bestin-class methane detection technologies to meet the new regulatory requirements,

including aerial surveys, continuous point sensors, and continuous OGI cameras. A focus on finding and fixing big leaks faster is what counts most to reduce emissions. Many publicly-traded companies, including those in the oil and gas industries, have adopted aggressive slates of related ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) philosophies, goals, and KPIs. By complying with ESG standards, they are positioning themselves as methane reduction leaders. And in a little more than one year, they’ll have a robust new set of rules to follow, and potentially significant fees to pay for methane emissions. But new costscalable, IoT-based, SCADA-compatible continuous-OGI technologies are available today that will minimize emissions and costs of deployment while making reporting and compliance as painless as possible. The significance of continuous-OGI is that the EDF and EPA suggest 70% of all emissions are intermittent, and the only way to determine the operational root cause and achieve subsequent mitigation is with continuous monitoring. Cost-scalable, continuous and optical is a fantastic combination. As we like to say, you have to see it to solve it.

About the author: A native of Texas, Robert has been part of the oil & gas industry for ~30 years, focusing on problem solving and various technology initiatives in the realm of measurement operations, production optimization, enterprise SCADA, telemetry, and connectivity. He spent over a decade where he pioneered the introduction and adoption of Control Microsystems’ SCADAPack as well as solutions from Accutech Wireless, Trio DataCom and ClearSCADA. Since 2016, Robert has been active in accelerating adoption of several newer technologies ranging from cellular based autonomous instruments to WiFi in hazardous areas to connected operator initiatives, Edge computing platforms, and expansive connectivity networks with integrated components that leverage LoRaWAN and LTE. Having consulted to Kuva Systems since Dec 2020 and getting a feel for the potential of the offer, Robert joined Kuva full time in Oct 2022 as Vice President of Business Development where he is now focused on helping Oil & Gas Operators attain their ESG goals with a low-cost methane imaging camera that provides visual evidence of the leak origin so it can quickly be repaired as well as emissions quantifications.

SHALEMAG.COM

BUSINESS

The Deeper Impacts of School Shootings The Mental Toll School shootings impose long-term detrimental effects on the communities where they occur. Mental health suffers, surviving students fail to thrive to their potential, and the overall community endures long-term economic costs. As a country, we are all suffering mentally to some degree. A majority of teens say they worry about a school shooting. This fear is linked to elevated anxiety levels among students, and many students under treatment admit that they are on high alert, constantly planning their escape route if violence breaks out in public. So it’s no surprise that 75% of young people and a majority of adults said that the anticipation of a mass shooting was a significant source of stress for them.

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School no longer feels like a safe place. It’s hard for students to focus on getting a strong education when this fear is so prevalent. For this reason, there has also been a spike of 21% in prescriptions for antidepressants among youth within a 5-mile radius of a school shooting. Researchers at Yale University conducted a wider review of studies that followed shootings and found that other psychiatric conditions increase: anxiety disorders, panic attacks, substance abuse disorders, phobias, and other issues. Researchers admit that data is incomplete due to underreporting or poor tracking—the actual scope of problems could be much much worse. Communities, where a shooting occurs, can also suffer from an increased rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When people

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By: Carolina Mozee and Richard Chung, Researchers at Iterate.ai; Brian Sathianathan Co-Founder of Iterate.ai; Dave Jenkins VP of Marketing and Technology Curation at Iterate.ai

typically hear the term PTSD, a common association are veterans. Researchers tracked 136 survivors of a shooting in Killeen TX, and found that 20% of the men and 36% of the women met the criteria for PTSD. A third of adults now say they avoid certain places and events as a result of their fear of mass shootings. Mass shootings account for only 1% of shooting deaths in the US, but the impact in the public consciousness is much greater. The frequency of mass shootings, combined with the near-constant and ubiquitous media connectivity combine accumulating exposure to the stress of potential shootings. It’s not just the adults. According to a Stanford study published in June 2022, high school students that are exposed to school shootings are 3.7% less likely to graduate, 9.5% less likely to enroll in college, and 15.3% less likely to complete a bachelor’s degree before age 26. This is partially due to the fact that students exposed to school shootings are more likely to be chronically absent and to be held back a grade in the two years following the shooting. This lack of attendance is also linked to long-term harm to graduation rates and college enrollment rates. The Economic Impact The PBS investigation program “Newshour” found that the aggregate cost of school gun violence in not having those students grow up and lead lives is nearly $5.8 Billion. Over a more extended period into adulthood, students in grades 9-11 who were exposed to school shootings are 6.3% less likely to be employed and have a 13.5% lower average annual earnings when they are 24-26 years. Each student exposed to a shooting could expect to earn $115,550 less throughout their lifetime. Roll those individual impacts out to the approximately 50,000 students who have been exposed, and the aggregate loss totals up to the $5.8 Billion mentioned above. When a supermarket in Buffalo, NY suffered a mass shooting, the city budget

was saddled with $500,000 in unanticipated and unbudgeted costs for first responder overtime and other city services. The impact is far worse when an entire small town unravels due to a mass shooting—the economic fallout from the Uvalde shooting is estimated at $244 Million, according to a report to the US House of Representatives. Additional economic impacts include reduced economic growth, home appreciation values are slower, and there are fewer new jobs in the areas. Can Technology Help? Confronting this enormous challenge has spurred some to look for technological solutions. Artificial Intelligence (AI) may hold some promise. As image recognition AI becomes exposed to more and more photos and videos, the pattern and object recognition algorithms get “smarter”, especially as the AI is trained to look for specific objects. In this case, AI can be trained to recognize weapons: guns, rifles, knives, and tactical vests. These AI monitors can be connected to existing security cameras, providing an unblinking and unwavering eye for weapons. Current accuracy is already above 90% and will improve with time. “Our team took 25,000 images of weapon usage and identified the weapons in each scene, used computers to generate an additional 40,000 images, and then used these identifications to train an image AI to “see” the weapons. Identification can occur in as little as 30 milliseconds,” said Brian Sathianathan, co-founder and CTO of Iterate.ai. Alerts can be sent to onsite security officers and first responders. This technology has been deployed to hundreds of commercial locations and is now being piloted on school campuses and churches. Security is best deployed in layers. AI threat awareness is not an absolute solution, but by accelerating the alert time, and by providing deeper, more accurate information to first responders, lives may be saved. AI can be used for the betterment of society.

About the author: Brian started his career at Apple where he was initially hired for his software development and encryption skills. For 6 years at Apple, he led iPhone and Intel Mac initiatives within the very private New Product Introductions (a.k.a. Secret Products) Group. His two core groups designed the security and activation platform for the first iPhone, for which he holds patents. After 8 years total, Brian left Apple to be Founder/President of Avot Media, a software platform used by firms like Warner Bros to transcode video for Mobile. Avot was acquired by Smith Micro [NASDAQ: SMSI]. At Smith, Brian became head of the video business and was responsible for strategy, vision, and integration. After Avot and Smith, Brian joined the seed-stage investment team at Turner Media, where he sought out startups in the Social, Consumer, Advertising, and Recommendation spaces. Over two years, he participated in 13 investments and one acquisition (BleacherReport). Two of his startups were acquired (one by Apple) during that period. Brian is now the Co-Founder and Chief Technology/Digital Officer of Iterate.ai, an innovation ecosystem launched in 2013. Companies like Ulta Beauty, The Pampered Chef, Driven Brands, and Circle K leverage the “intelligent low-code” capabilities invented and patented by Brian and his team. Interplay dramatically speeds up and simplifies digital and AI-based innovation. Largely bootstrapped and highly capital efficient, Iterate revenues grew 287% from 2017 to 2020. About the author: Dave Jenkins runs the marketing and technology curation practice for Iterate.ai. Having been a technologist for 20+ years, with exposure at all levels of deployment, he ran his own studio, was CTO at Backcountry.com just prior to their acquisition, managed professional services and consulting for Red Hat in EMEA and then APAC, directed online strategy for Caleres, and most recently grew a data visualization platform for Vision.Space. Dave is passionate about finding new technology and the unconventional solutions that technology can bring to business.

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BUSINESS

Most Effective Digital Marketing Tactics and Techniques of 2022 By: Ricardo Kruse

What Are Digital Marketing Strategies Digital marketing tactics are primarily used by organizations to target customers through various digital channels such as social media, email, search engines, websites, and apps. Digital marketing techniques help businesses better understand their customers and promote their products or services in a more personalized manner. With such a move towards a digital-centric landscape, digital marketing will continue to grow in importance in the coming years;

in fact, almost 90% of all marketing activities are digital. Consequently, businesses must have a strong understanding of digital marketing to stay ahead of the competition and ensure continued success. The Definition of Digital Marketing Strategies B2B, B2C & D2C Business-to-business (B2B) means one business selling a product or a service to another business. It’s different from business-to-consumer (B2C), where one company sells products or services to individuals. When discussing B2B e-commerce, we’re referring exclusively to online transactions between two businesses. To streamline this process, the concept of e-procurement was born. E-procurement is defined as “the business-to-business purchase and sale of supplies and services through an electronic network,” and it’s quickly becoming the norm for companies large and small. So what’s driving this shift? Simply put, e-procurement is more efficient than traditional methods like paper invoicing, phone calls, or even email. With

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Some of the most important digital marketing trends of 2022 include artificial intelligence, voice search, and personalization e-procurement in place, businesses can manage their entire purchasing process online—from sourcing vendors to approving invoices—all in one central location. It saves time and allows for better visibility into spending patterns and trends, which can help businesses save money. In addition, e-procurement often includes automated payments, so vendors get paid more quickly—another big plus. If your company isn’t already using e-procurement solutions,

now is the time to investigate your options. Making the switch will require some upfront investment in time and resources, but the longterm payoffs are well worth it. Not only will you improve efficiency and cut costs, but you’ll also gain a competitive edge in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape. Effective Digital Marketing Tactics and Techniques Digital marketing uses electronic devices to promote goods

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ith the rise of social media, digital marketing has changed drastically. Brands are now using these technologies to reach out and connect with their target audience in new ways that were never possible before—this includes traditional advertising mediums such as billboards as well! For that reason, “going digital” has become an important part of modern marketing strategies. We invite you to read on and find out these effective digital marketing tactics and techniques written from Design Boca Raton.

What Are the Macro B2B Marketing Trends to Watch in 2022 Digital marketing tactics are continuing to gain popularity in the B2B sphere. In particular, account-based marketing (ABM) is becoming paramount. ABM allows businesses to tailor their marketing efforts to specific accounts rather than casting a wide net. This approach is highly effective in B2B settings, and it is only expected to become more popular in the coming year. Other digital marketing tactics that are gaining ground in 2022 include personalization, content marketing, and data-driven marketing. As buyers have become increasingly savvy and technology evolves, businesses are adopting these digital marketing tactics to stay ahead of the curve.

and services. It covers various activities, including email marketing, social media marketing, and search engine optimization. In recent years, digital marketing has become increasingly important as more and more consumers use the internet to research products and make purchase decisions. As a result, businesses have had to adapt their marketing strategies to keep up with the changes. One digital marketing tactic that has proven to be effective is content marketing. This strategy

involves creating high-quality, informative content that is utilized to attract and engage customers. Another popular technique is search engine optimization, which helps ensure your website appears as high as possible on search engine results pages. In addition, social media marketing builds relationships with potential and existing customers. As digital marketing evolves, new tactics and techniques are emerging. However, the principles of effective digital marketing remain the same—create high-

quality content, build relationships with customers, and optimize your website for search engines. By following these principles, you can ensure that your digital marketing campaigns are more successful now, and in the future.

Final Thoughts In 2022, digital marketers are relying on even more sophisticated techniques and tactics to be successful. They are staying up-to-date with the latest changes in technology and consumer behavior. Some of the most important digital marketing trends of 2022 include artificial intelligence, voice search, and personalization. Marketers who capitalize on these trends will have a distinct advantage over their competitors. Digital marketing is an everevolving field, and those who can keep up with the latest changes will be the most successful. Staying current on new technologies and consumer behaviors is essential for any marketer looking to remain competitive in 2022 and beyond.

About the author: Ricardo is a business advisor for several companies in the USA. He has experience working in a range of industries and providing technical support on topics such as business growth, market expansion, and product development. He also works for Ajroni Web Agency. Kruse is passionate about family, languages, traveling, and reading.

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BUSINESS

What Entrepreneurs Need Most, But Nobody Talks About–and How to Get it Grit, sacrifice, hard work, vision…There’s no shortage of advice on developing any of these attributes crucial to entrepreneurship. Yet, little is said about these specific needs that all entrepreneurs must have if they’re going to succeed:

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Courage As a four-time CEO of public and private companies, the founder of one of the first post-Soviet era joint ventures, and the first American since Charles Lindbergh to pilot an aircraft into the Russian Kamchatka peninsula (1992), I’ve seen that courage is the one thing that matters most in success as an entrepreneur, or any other endeavor in life for that matter.

What every hero, explorer, adventurer, warrior, first responder, pilot, athlete, and entrepreneur all have in common is the extraordinary ability to push through the uncertainties of their situations to achieve success. This is what courage truly is. In some cases, it even extends to sacrificing one’s life along the way. Where does the courage to take these actions come from? How can entrepreneurs use it to achieve great things?

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By: Steve Myers

The truth is that most entrepreneurs fail, and for very good reasons; lack of preparation, confusing an opportunity with a mirage, an idea that couldn’t hold up to competitive market pressures, poor macroeconomic conditions leading to undercapitalization or excessive costs, or just bad timing. Merely facing this reality takes courage. Yet, even if all of these factors work in your favor, you still have to summon the courage to make the commitments needed to push through the uncertainties inherent in entrepreneurship. You certainly won’t have all the answers. You’ll have every reason to be afraid because everything will be on the line. Without courage, you won’t be able to push the button and make the right decisions at the right time. Courage is not just about accepting risk. Risk is measurable with the ways and means of determining if they are acceptable or can be mitigated. It’s the uncertainty of situations that can be terrifying. Most people simply can’t tolerate uncertainty. Tony Robbins observed that most people would prefer to live in mediocrity than take the actions they could take to significantly improve their lives, even if the better outcome was virtually certain. Their fear paralyzes them. They are pessimists. And it is highly contagious. Conversely, people with courage are invariably optimists. They find a way to push through their fears, their doubts, and the uncertainties of their situations to accomplish what they must to be great entrepreneurs. Acknowledge your fears We all have fears. Make a list of what you are afraid of. This might require some soul-searching: maybe you’ve never really thought about what frightens you before. It could be roller coasters, tall heights, airplanes, caves, snakes, spiders, failing, etc. Whatever you’re afraid of, write it down. Prioritize a top ten list. Confront your fears Create a plan to confront your fears and anxieties for each. If you’re afraid of airplanes, arrange a private flight where you can sit in

the copilot seat. If it’s roller-coaster rides, head to an amusement park and climb aboard. By confronting your feelings of fear and discomfort, you may come to realize that a normal response to fear is to create the illusion of control. Your mind pretends that you’re able to make the world small enough for you to feel safe. Taking prudent precautions is always a practical way to reduce risk. But, thinking that one seat on an airplane is somehow safer than any other is an excellent example of fear masquerading as control.

Without courage, you won’t be able to push the button and make the right decisions at the right time.

Ask yourself why you’re afraid This requires some introspection. Start to notice when your choices are being shaped by fear, and pause to ask yourself what, exactly, you’re afraid of. Ridicule? Discomfort? Physical harm? Failure? Imagine the worst-possible scenario in each case and consider how likely that really is. Practice venturing beyond your comfort zone Look for opportunities to get out of your comfort zone and experience the things that trigger fear. Start small and keep at it. Courage is like a muscle: the more you challenge yourself to do things that frighten you and let go of the illusion of control, the more courage you’ll build. A famous Churchill saying goes that the pessimist sees the difficulty in every situation while the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. Most people know which they are. Some people characterize themselves as “realists.” I think of them as pessimists with positive attitudes. Successful entrepreneurs are pathologically optimistic. If you’re not an optimist, maybe think about not being an entrepreneur and, instead working with one. Perhaps as the CFO or the COO. Successful entrepreneurs need pessimists and realists to work with to keep us from running off a cliff. I’ll be forever grateful to my COO and CFO for the positive impact their natures made on me.

About the author: Steven Myers is a successful four-time CEO and serial entrepreneur, director of public and private company boards, public speaker, accomplished aviator, two-time Air Force veteran, and the author of Cross Winds: Adventure and Entrepreneurship in the Russian Far East. He is the founder of SM&A, Inc., which grew into a NASDAQ-listed $110 million annual revenue international management consulting firm serving aerospace & defense, aviation, telecommunications, and other high-tech industry clients. After a very successful IPO in 1998, he served as Chairman and CEO for ten years before the company was sold to private equity in 2008. His private equity investment company, Dolphin Capital Holdings, Inc., has interests in a broad array of enterprises. Myers was the first American since Charles Lindbergh to pilot an aircraft into the Russian Kamchatka peninsula, where he formed one of the first post-Soviet era joint ventures. An Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” for Software and Information Services, and a graduate of Stanford University with a BS in Mathematics, he served three terms on the US Department of State Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy under two Secretaries of State—Hillary Clinton and John Kerry—as well as on the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council Task Force on Cyber Resources.

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LIFESTYLE

A MUCH-NEEDED DISCUSSION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH IN OIL + GAS By: Anastasia Zoe Vastakis

SHALE MAGAZINE  NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

THERE ARE A MULTITUDE OF PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESSORS WITHIN THIS OCCUPATION SUCH AS ISOLATION, HIGH RESPONSIBILITY, INTENSE PRESSURE DUE TO THEIR HIGH WORKLOAD, AND THE FATIGUE AND LACK OF SLEEP THAT ACCOMPANY THE LONG HOURS.

edged sword. It can establish interconnectedness, but can easily be consuming. “You have to draw boundaries,” Adamse said. “Unfortunately, you can get a hold of anyone 24/7. You have to evaluate, how important is this text, or this email. People have to learn parameters and limits. I know it’s not easy separating work life from personal life.” It’s not just the intense work conditions that affect workers’ mental health, but also the relationships surrounding them. A study analyzed the relationship between family dynamics and the shale boom. The results found that when oil and gas is seeing substantial employment growth, there are decreased marriage rates and increased divorce rates. For offshore drillers, the intense schedule of working long stretches of 12-hour plus days, suddenly switching gears and going home can be daunting. A home typically has a routine. The kids are up at this time, and dinner is served at that time. Fluctuating between the

two roles of being an exhausted and isolated worker to an active member of a family can lead to rifts within the household. A common way that workers try to manage these intense work hours is through drug use. Methamphetamines are the #1 drug threat to the U.S. According to a study analyzing drug trends throughout Texas, “one of the methamphetamine problem areas reported by DEA involves the oil boom in West Texas. Much of this population comprises young men, single or unaccompanied, who work in the oil field. They have few ties to the community, are well paid, and their lives consist largely of hard and dangerous work in the oilfield and partying when off duty.” However, the abuse of methamphetamines is not just associated with party culture, but rather the fact that meth is a mental stimulant, and helps combat fatigue. Then, what comes up must also come down. Once the 12-hour-shift is over, many workers will then indulge in “downers”, substances that allow them to relax, such as alcohol and opiates. Similarly, because the oil fields are such a physically demanding industry, it’s not uncommon for opiates and painkillers to be abused to help with the aches and pains that come with the job. Recognizing It’s Time for a Change? At some point, everyone needs to take a step back and analyze where they are at in their life, where they would like to be, and what improvements need to be made to get from point A to B. In Dr. Adamse’s book, he speaks about the observant ego. This is a “narrative we play in our heads. It’s the story we tell ourselves about our lives. We go through our lives without too much depth of thought, but the observant ego makes you take a step back to think analytically about what’s going on in our world and think about ourselves for ourselves.” Self-reflection goes hand in hand with self-growth. With at least 90% of the oil and gas industry being men, it’s easy to adopt a “man’s-

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hen you think of oil and gas, it’s almost best to think of it as an oil drill. For the crown block and water table to work, it has to be connected to the drilling line. And the drilling line has to hoist and pull the drill pipe. So on and so forth. But everything has to be working in unison, internally, to impact the earth, externally. The same goes for those within the industry. But rather, instead of drilling lines and pipes, there are 10.3 million workers. To keep the oil and gas industry flourishing, the workers need to be cared for internally and externally. We can talk about hydrating and acclimating to the heat all day, but at the end of the day, if workers are facing mental health issues, it could cause the entire industry to fall apart. From field workers to offshore drillers to the CEOs of Marathon and Exxon, everyone experiences a demanding workload. According to a survey conducted by Oxford Academic, offshore workers within the oil and gas sector appear to experience depression and anxiety more than the general population. There are a multitude of psychosocial stressors within this occupation such as isolation, high responsibility, intense pressure due to their high workload, and the fatigue and lack of sleep that accompany the long hours. While it is easy to adopt the mentality of “it comes with the job”, that doesn’t have to be the case. The same applies to those who work within the corporate industry. It’s not easy to turn your phone off at 5 p.m. when you have the physical safety of workers to worry about, business deals that need an extra push to close, or complications within the office that need attention. Especially now that everyone can be reached with the press of a button. Despite feeling anxious and on-edge even sitting on the couch at home and scrolling through endless emails, for many, putting the phone down is nearly an impossible task. According to Dr. Michael Adamse, a clinical psychologist and author of the book “Make America Sane Again,” technology is a double-

man” mentality. Pride and respect go hand in hand in the establishment of identity. There is still an archaic mentality that places a stigma on seeking help from others. However, Dr. Adamse claims that if you need help, it doesn’t have to be professional. “One of the secret sauces in my book is that you don’t have to be a licensed therapist to be a good listener. However, the key is starting a dialogue. If you are struggling, reach out to a loved one, a boss, or a support group.” There are support groups for every niche group: anxiety and depression, divorces, substance abuse, family rifts, connection with the field, etc. Another interesting avenue to approach is the discussed-based platform, Reddit. The users on this platform are typically anonymous, which provides a sense of security when sharing your thoughts. Since internet connection on offshore rigs can be spotty at best and nonexistent at worst, the need for conversation falls on the workers and management to make sure the entire team is staying healthy. Adamse said “It starts with management allowing there to

be an open dialogue. Management can go a long way to encourage that type of support system. They need to look and see if they are taking enough care of their employees.” Looking for cues is an important aspect of support. There are always queues to look out for. Are there problems with performance or with anger? Frustration is always a precursor to anger. The source of that frustration needs to be addressed head-on because unaddressed frustration leads to aggression.” Lastly, showing appreciation for the workers in our industries is paramount. Adamse expressed that “gas has to come from somewhere. There needs to be an appreciation for the people offshore. Americans are appreciative of their work, and how we can turn on our electricity or get our vegetables or our case. If people realize that the work they are doing is valuable, that goes a long way. If people feel the recognition of their hard work, that goes a long way of mitigating mental health issues because people can get burnt out if they feel as though their work goes unnoticed.”

SHOWING APPRECIATION FOR THE WORKERS IN OUR INDUSTRIES IS PARAMOUNT. About the author: Anastasia Zoe Vastakis is one of the editors for SHALE Magazine. She graduated from Texas State University, and was previously a writer/intern for Austin Womans’ Magazine.

Additional Resources: Alcoholics Anonymous Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline (800) 662-4357 National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988 SHALEMAG.COM

LIFESTYLE

STEM EDUCATION: THE KEY TO IMPROVING THE AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM By: Anastasia Zoe Vastakis

Children are Born Scientists We love watching babies grow up. You can’t do much with a newborn other than engage in intense eye contact and communicate through sounds. The fun begins when the babies begin to roll over, sit up, walk, and talk. It’s important to recognize that these babies are learning how to learn. They are taking in the world around them, and using problem-

solving skills to figure out if I move this way, this happens, or if I move my lips this way, this sound comes out. These problem-solving skills only get stronger with the introduction of a strong educational foundation, specifically in STEMrelated subjects. International STEM Education Presently, America is fortunate enough to claim the position of being the greatest superpower in existence. However, if we don’t make adjustments to our education to gain a competitive edge over other countries, we risk the possibility of losing this title. Already our STEM-based education is falling behind. For the past 20 years, China has produced the most STEM graduates in the world. They have the opposite problem from the U.S. — they have more STEM graduates than their labor demand can handle. Whereas, while we do have this massive 3.5 million positions in STEM that need to be filled, the top five degrees being pursued by the class of 2022 in the U.S. are business, nursing, psychology, biology and pre-med. So, who is helping fill this gap in the industry? An estimated one million international students come to America each year to pursue higher education, and 52% of these students follow the STEM industry. But for us to fill these positions as swiftly as possible, it has to start at home. And that begins with strengthening our primary school education.

OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS ARE FALLING BEHIND DUE TO THIS STAGNANCY, WHILE OTHER NATIONS ARE FLOURISHING. 62

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In 2021, The National Science Board finalized a study that analyzed the test scores of Americans on two levels: how the average test scores of 4th and 8th graders have changed from 1990, and how American students compare to those internationally. The results were less than satisfactory. From 2007 to 2019, the average test scores in math for both 4th and 8th graders have been stagnant. Our educational systems are falling behind due to this stagnancy, while other nations are flourishing. This same study compared the science, mathematics, and computer literacy scores from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). This program includes 37 different countries within The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The results left much to be desired. Out of the 37 countries, the U.S. ranked 7th in science and 24th in math, placing us below the average OECD score. For reference, the top five countries with the highest math scores were Japan, South Korea, Estonia, Netherlands and Poland. Similarly, regarding science, the top countries were Estonia, Japan, Finland, South Korea and Canada. A Call to Strengthen STEM Education in America According to Pew Research Center, 75% of scientists from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) claim that the lack of STEM education in the United States for grades K-12 “is a major factor in the public’s limited knowledge about science”. In fact, 46% of these scientists think this limited knowledge stems from the fact that the STEM programs in place are “below average”. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as “The Nation’s Report Card,”, which tests the math and reading scores of 4th and 8th graders, released the scores for 2021 this past September, and it

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e have come to rely on the innovation of the modern era: smartphones that help you keep in contact with anyone anywhere; Alexas that will tell you the weather or turn your lights off; the ability to reach out to a consultant that will help you establish a strong financial plan; engineers that help orchestrate the construction of bridges and highways that keep us connected. But still, we want more. With all that has been accomplished now, it’s almost difficult to think of what lies ahead for us. Therein lies the potential danger of innovation and creativity becoming stagnant. Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is the foundation for our growth as a nation. We wouldn’t have our smartphones or Alexas or even the Covid vaccine without the STEM industry. It’s proposed that by 2025, we will need to fulfill 3.5 million STEM-related jobs. Rectifying this employment gap begins with the youth. Strengthening STEM education in the American school system is the first step to ensuring we can keep up with the times.

has caused the media to go into an uproar. Many companies, such as CNN, are claiming that this decline in test scores is a result of schools having to close during the pandemic. However, this is a problem that has been taking place for over a decade. If we don’t change the curriculum to include more STEMbased education and teach children the skills to help them learn how to learn, stagnancy and decline will continue to be the standard for K-12 education. For this reason, many schools are beginning to outsource education programs to help elevate their students’ STEM education. PORT-Able Learning Labs When discussing the need to further implement STEM programs in schools, it makes sense that Corpus Christi would take the initiative in the Coastal Bend region. Presently, the Port of Corpus Christi supports more than 94,000 jobs in varying industries from maintaining wind farms to unloading cargo ships. The port collaborated with Learning Undefeated to create the PORT-Able Learning

Labs. This partnership began to plan ways to introduce STEM education into schools back in 2021. The hope is that the learning labs will help establish a strong educational foundation and skills that will allow students to eventually fill the labor demand. Similarly, with the advancement of this education and technology that will come, hopefully, the students will be able to establish new roles and solutions for the labor force. “Investing in STEM education is the key to economic vitality for our region, the state and the nation,” said Sean Strawbridge, Chief Executive Officer for the Port of Corpus Christi. “It requires us to invest in our youth, as they will be the ones who will chart the course for the communities we serve for years to come.” Every aspect of the labs is meant to encourage students to engage with all aspects of STEM education. The walls of the labs are composed of touch screens for the interactive gameplay that is implemented into the curriculum. The lessons taught within the learning lab are then carried back into the classroom for further analysis. Because the

labs are being used across the coastal bend, each participating school gets to utilize them for two weeks. Presently, the PORT-Able Learning Labs offer two courses: Engineering in Agriculture for grades kindergarten through second grade, and Chemical and Physically Changes for fifth through eighth grade. With the release of the 2021 test scores, along with The National Science Board’s study, it’s now more imperative than ever that we look at the data: our educational system needs help. Children need to learn how to learn, and love to do so. This can only be done by either outsourcing more programs like the PORT-Able Learning Labs or adjusting our curriculums. The future of innovation depends on the education of these youths. About the author: Anastasia Zoe Vastakis is one of the editors for SHALE Magazine. She graduated from Texas State University, and was previously a writer/intern for Austin Womans’ Magazine. SHALEMAG.COM

SOCIAL

Citgo’s State of the County

SHALE Magazine’s CEO Kym Bolado attended Citgo’s State of the County event on August 30th. The keynote speaker for this event was Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales. We were given updates on the developments happening within the Nueces County.

Pasadena Livestock Show & Rodeo BBQ Cook-Off SHALE Magazine loves any opportunity to put on a pair of cowboy boots and attend industry-driven events. September 15th marked ACIT’s Pasadena Rodeo Hospitality Tent Pasadena Livestock Show & Rodeo BBQ Cook-Off.

acit golf tournament

PHOTOS BY SHALE

ACIT events are always a blast to attend. Our CEO Kym Bolado attend their recent golfing tournament. Golfing is always the best way to network.

SHALE MAGAZINE  NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

River City Dental Solutions

General, Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry Trusted, Comfortable & Affordable Family Dental Care The Latest Procedures, Instruments & Techniques Always Welcoming New Patients Most Dental Insurance Accepted Dr. Thomas C. Shields would like to welcome Dr. Joseph Perry to the practice. 7300 Blanco Road, Suite 203, San Antonio, TX 78216 210-349-3745

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American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) conference

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SHALE

SHALE Magazine and In the Oil Patch got to attend the 111th annual American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) conference. The three-day conference was filled with powerful speakers from Sean Strawbridge, the CEO of Corpus Christi, to Nicole Malachowski, a USAF Veteran and former Fighter Pilot.

Opening Doors in San Antonio Since 1974

ONLY TEXANS TEXANS

KNOW HOW TO FEED

Reaping the earth’s bounty is what we do best. That’s why you should plan your next offsite onsite by catering with Freebirds. From custom-rolled burritos to an entire burrito bar, your folks will attend this meeting and even look forward to the next. Place your order now.

KING REALTORS is dedicated to helping San Antonio and the oil industry with their real estate needs. If you are looking to buy or sell a property, call us and say you saw it in SHALE Magazine!

Freebirds World Burrito San Antonio & South Texas Catering Sales Manager Josie Nieves P: 210-560-5002 F: 866-421-0876 jnieves@freebirds.com

TABITHA KING 210.414.4255

5600 Broadway Avenue • San Antonio, TX 78209 KingRealtors.com tabitha@kingrealtors.com SHALEMAG.COM

PREMIER HUNTING LODGE

TEXAS HILL COUNTRY RESORT

“OFF THE CHART HOSPITALITY... | Chris J. | Orvis.com Review

...I have been to several high-end hunting lodges over the years. Some of which have something that needs significant improvement. Not Joshua Creek Ranch! From accommodations, to the dining, to the guides, and especially the hunting, we had one terrific time. We will definitely be back!”

– UPLAND BIRD HUNTS FOR QUAIL, PHEASANT & CHUKAR – – EUROPEAN-STYLE DRIVEN PHEASANT SHOOTS – – DECOYED MALLARD DUCK HUNTS – – FREE-RANGE TROPHY AXIS DEER HUNTS – – SPORTING CLAYS & FLY-FISHING – – LUXURY LODGING, FINE DINING & RESORT AMENITIES –

132 Cravey Road , Boerne, TX 78006 • (830) 537-5090 • JoshuaCreek.com SHALEMAG.COM

SHALE MAGAZINE  NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

SHALE Magazine November/December 2022

Articles inside

Nature Controls CO2–Not Man: Op-Ed

With High-Impact Oil Exploration Returning To the Game with a Boom, There’s Never Been a Greater Need for Technology Solutions

Mexico’s Big Energy Nationalization Plans

STEM Education: The Key to Improving the American Educational System

The Future of Well-Monitoring is Digital

New Solutions in Carbon Capture for Age-Old Problems

The Inflation Reduction Act Tackles Methane Emissions

Most Effective Digital Marketing Tactics and Techniques of 2022