Louisiana Oil and Gas Association president Don Briggs has dedicated his professional life to protect the interest of energy. Despite the heavy responsibility, he hasn’t lost his sense of humor. When asked whether the role his advocacy organization plays changes depending on the price of a barrel of oil — whether it’s different during boom and bust periods — Briggs pauses a moment before deadpanning: “Well, it’s a lot more fun.”
“You sleep better,” he says. “You know, when we had 138 rigs in the Haynesville Shale and developing different shale plays, that was an exciting time. We had to educate on new technology: hydraulic fracturing, lateral drilling, just getting the general public up to speed on the growth of the industry. So we had lots of town hall meetings in north Louisiana — lots of educational stuff.
“And that doesn’t change, now,” Briggs continues. “We’re still educating people with lots of presentations in the delta. We just had a presentation with 250 people in Lafayette — not just industry people, but bankers and lawyers and other businesspeople.”
Founded a quarter century ago, the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association serves as the flag waver for independent and service sectors of the energy industry in Louisiana. Dedicated to fostering a work climate conducive to strengthening and empowering the oil and gas industry, the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association fights to ward off tax increases, lessen regulations that could potential stunt economic growth and emphasize the importance of the energy sector in general to the state of Louisiana.
Through the years, the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association has cultivated a healthy relationship with state leaders, providing advice, insight, direction, clarity and critical influence when making decisions that directly or indirectly affect energy production. The Association also plays watchdog against groups like the Department of Natural Resources, the Office of Conservation, the Office of Mineral Resources and the Louisiana Tax Commission.
“Our mission isn’t very much different from when we started,” Briggs says. “Our whole purpose is to be an advocate for the industry, and give support to the industry. We look at the legislature. We look at what bills are filed that could affect the industry. Rules, regulations, all the different aspects that take place. We’re a highly regulated industry, so we’re looking at all of that: every rule, every fee, everything that might have an impact good or bad.”
Briggs makes it a point of emphasis to maintain regular contact with the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association’s 1,600-member companies. Several events — including the annual meeting, multiple golf outings and a handful of town-hall-style gatherings — dot the yearly calendar for LOGA. In addition to those in-person opportunities, Briggs pens monthly articles touching on various topics covered by the oil and gas umbrella. Predictably, much of his correspondence since the fall of 2014 has given a realistic, non rose-colored-glasses outlook on the state of oil and gas in the Gulf South. At the same time, he’s marveled at the resilience and grit shown by Louisiana oilfield workers during these dark days.
In early February 2016, Briggs outlined why the price of oil keeps plummeting and noted how predictions that cheap prices at the gas station would bolster the entire U.S. economy has proven to be false. He went on to urge OPEC to cut oil production in “order to prevent an absolute global economic meltdown,” finishing the piece by claiming that we’ve reached the point where something’s got to give.
“Outreach is the foundation of our organization,” Briggs says. “So one of the things I’m proud of is how we’ve utilized social media. We do the Chambers (of Commerce) and the Kiwanis Clubs and the Rotary Clubs throughout Louisiana, but that’s not the only vehicle to give presentations…. There’s so much to educate people about, because a lot of folks don’t understand what we do.
“The people we represent are not necessarily the large, international companies. The guys that drill 95% of all the wells in Louisiana are the independent oil and gas producers – that’s the majority of our membership. Again, it’s not the big integrated companies. We represent the little guys who drill a majority of the wells.”
By William Kalec
