Oil and gas production in West Texas broke records last year. The Texas Oil and Gas Association reported that Texas supplied 42% of the nation’s oil in 2023, with most of that oil coming from the Permian Basin. So how is this massive energy effort impacting the local communities?
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In this Texas Tribune conversation, we’ll talk about how the industry has changed communities like Midland and Odessa, how oil companies are partnering with local entities to train the next generation of oil workers, and what is being done to address environmental concerns around this massive drilling enterprise.
Join us at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8th, at the Odessa College - Saulsbury Campus Center.
Confirmed speakers include Savannah Morales, CEO of the Midland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Stephen Robertson, executive vice president of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association; and Katherine Zimmerman, decarbonization director for Americas at Wood.
The event will be moderated by The Texas Tribune's Permian Basin reporter Carlos Nogueras Ramos.Â
Doors will open at noon for lunch and the hourlong conversation will begin at 12:30 p.m.
Lunch will be provided by The Tribune.
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This in-person event will be live streamed for virtual attendees and will be available to watch on demand at texastribune.org/events.
Email us at events@texastribune.org
The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
Morales serves the Midland, Texas community as CEO of the Midland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She is an experienced entrepreneur and community leader known for her dedication to supporting local businesses and non-profit organizations. She previously served as CEO of the Odessa Hispanic Chamber and is an active community volunteer, contributing her time to the local food bank, LULAC, and Hispanic Heritage.
Robertson is executive vice president of the Permian Basin Petroleum
Association, an oil and gas trade association representing all aspects of the industry throughout southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. He is their consulting attorney, manages the daily operations of offices in three cities, supports and grows the association’s membership, and advocates on behalf of the Permian Basin oil and gas industry on the local, state, national, and even international levels.
Ramos is a regional reporter for The Texas Tribune based in Odessa. He joined The Texas Tribune in 2023 in partnership with Report for America. Ramos tells the stories of Texas from the vast energy-rich Permian Basin region. Before the Tribune, Carlos spent time in Philadelphia writing about local politics, including the city’s 100th mayoral election.
Named one of the industry’s Top 50 women in hydrogen by the Hydrogen Economist and a Woman Who Means Business by the Houston Business Journal, Zimmerman is an expert in hydrogen and carbon capture, two of the world’s fastest-growing clean energy solutions. Her career story began in oil and gas as a process engineer for offshore and shale market sectors. Seeing the opportunities for new energies to achieve net zero, she now plays a leading role in developing solutions for decarbonization to reduce emissions and helping the world’s energy companies effectively deliver major clean hydrogen and carbon capture projects.
