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My View: Energy development fuels Uintah Basin economy

Deseret News, Wednesday, Sept. 3 2014

Laura Nelson,
Director, Office of Energy Development,
Utah State.

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Responsible energy development is a key part of the Utah economy, and it is a driving force behind growth in the Uintah Basin. Our current energy boom is driven by market conditions as well as a technological revolution that has come in the form of new drilling and well-stimulation techniques.

Energy is creating high-paying jobs. Energy jobs in Utah account for 1.4 percent of the state’s jobs — just under 18,000 — but account for 2.6 percent of the state’s total wages. The average energy job in Utah pays nearly double the state’s average wage, and Duchesne and Uintah counties boast the highest median wages in the state.

The Uintah Basin has an astounding 2.7 percent unemployment rate, with thousands of jobs currently available in Duchesne and Uintah counties. As a result, Duchesne County is the second-fastest growing rural county in America, and Vernal is the sixth fastest growing micropolitan area in the nation. In fact, one in five jobs in Uintah County is energy-related, and in Duchesne, that number is one in four. Wages are up not only for jobs directly related to the energy sector, but many indirectly related as well, including construction jobs, transportation jobs and jobs within the hospitality industry.

Our as-yet-untapped oil shale and oil sands resources are by far the largest resources in the country, with an estimated 77 billion barrels of oil recoverable from oil shale, and 15 billion barrels of oil recoverable from oil sands. These are perhaps Utah’s most promising energy resources in terms of future revenue and job creation potential.

Utah is willing — and has proven itself able — to manage its natural resources effectively, but we remain subject to arcane federal regulatory processes that hinder our natural, environmentally responsible economic growth. While the Uintah Basin is particularly harmed by these delays, the area has also shown remarkable innovation and cooperation as many sectors have come together to find workable solutions.

For example, recent road improvements in rural Uintah County were done without using taxpayer dollars but with partnerships that included the counties, commissioners, the transportation authority and industry representatives. These groups proactively identified road improvements important for sustaining development and worked together to make it happen while improving safety and protecting the environment.

A strong partnership between education and industry has also been a key factor in the success of the Uintah Basin. The Uintah Basin Applied Technology Center (UBATC) is placing a high rate of its graduates in the energy industry and related fields. Students now participate in hands-on training with outdoor oil wells, natural gas wells and other industry-specific equipment. Indoors, UBATC has state-of-the-art well-simulation equipment that gives students from all over the world the opportunity to learn and practice a number of real-world scenarios with a top-notch instructor.

The Uintah Basin Energy Summit is an annual event that brings together leaders from industry, education, the community and the public sector to learn about and discuss the future of energy development. This year’s summit, to be held on Thursday, will feature speakers from across the spectrum and will showcase examples of innovation, collaboration and problem-solving. In other words, the unique brand of self-determination Utah is known for.

Utah has seen some exciting energy innovations over the last several years, and with energy development as a key cornerstone of Gov. Gary Herbert’s administration, that trend will continue.

Laura Nelson is the director of the Governor’s Office of Energy Development. She has extensive experience in the energy field and has worked in the public sector, the private sector and in the education community.

Rubin, oil sands, and the bitumen bubble

Maclean's

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US Oil Production to Surpass Imports, a First Since '95

March 20, 2013 - Energy Digital

US oil production is expected to exceed its oil imports later this year for the first time in nearly two decades, according to a recent report from the US Energy Information Administration.

By that time, the gap between monthly US crude oil production and imports is expected to be nearly 2 million barrels per day, states the EIA's March 2013 Short-Term Energy Outlook.

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Oil Sands Account for 0.16% of Greenhouse Gases

March 17, 2013 -New York Times

Oil sands operations account for just 0.16 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. If all operations shut down tomorrow, the impact on greenhouse gas emissions would be infinitesimal. Even so, industry reduced oil sands emissions per barrel by 26 percent since 1990 and continues to seek reductions through technology and innovation.

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Never mind oil - coal deserves its lumps, too

January 14th, 2013 - The Province

If you still believe Alberta's oil-sands are a major contributor to the world's greenhouse gas emissions, you'd better check your math.

The oilsands, which produce about two per cent of the world's daily crude supplies, account for just seven per cent of Canada's carbon emissions or less than 0.2 per cent of the global total.

In other words, emissions from Alberta's oft-reviled oilsands amount to little more than a rounding error in global terms - the equivalent of a few coal-fired power plants in the U.S. Midwest.

Yet, an army of green activists and anti-pipeline crusaders continue to scream from the rooftops (or the tree tops, as they're inclined to do in Texas) that the oilsands pose a grave threat to humanity itself, even if the facts don't jive with their overheated rhetoric.

Water scarcity could drive push towards wind and solar : Renew Economy

December 5th, 2012

The United States will become increasingly energy independent in the next three decades as it boosts its production of oil, natural gas and renewable power such as solar and wind, the U.S. government forecast today.

Crude oil production will increase 20% in the coming decade, reaching a peak of 7.5 million barrels per day in 2019, according to the 2013 forecast by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the analytical arm of the Department of Energy. Most of the surge is due to tight oil that's forced from shale rock.