OTC 2013 Sees Second-Highest Attendance in Show History

Experts from the offshore energy industry around the world came together May 6-9 for the 2013 Offshore Technology Conference at Reliant Park in Houston. Attendance at the conference reached a 30-year high of 104,800, the second highest in show history and up 17 percent from last year.

Attendance surpassed the 2012 total of 89,400 and the sold-out exhibition was the largest in show history at 652,185 square feet, up from 641,350 square feet in 2012. The event had 2,728 companies representing 40 countries, including 244 new exhibitors in 2013. International companies made up 39 percent of exhibitors.

"We had a terrific conference with deep and broad technical coverage, supported by excellent panels and executive keynote presentations," said Steve Balint chairman of OTC. "Technology is at the heart of the offshore industry and it was all here on display at OTC 2013."

This year's event featured nine panel sessions, 29 executive keynote presentations at luncheons and breakfasts, and 298 technical papers. Speakers from major IOCs, NOCs, and independent operators presented their views on the current challenges and future directions of the industry.

OTC's Spotlight on New Technology recognized 15 technologies for their innovation in allowing the industry to produce offshore resources.

Governors (Texas, Alabama, Alaska, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina) from the Outer Continental Shelf Governors Coalition participated on a panel discussion on offshore energy development and the need for improved cooperation between the states and the Federal government.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell toured the exhibition floor and held a press conference where she discussed her commitment to work with industry leaders to ensure safe and environmentally responsible offshore oil and gas operations.

Energy ministers and national oil company senior executives participated on a panel where they shared their perspectives on how the industry and its partnership models should adjust to address future supply challenges and what role companies and governments should play to shape the energy future.

Norway's Crown Prince Haakon and his wife, the Crown Princess Mette-Marit attended the Annual OTC Dinner on Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Norway's participation in OTC. The royal couple toured the exhibition floor where more than 60 Norwegian companies were part of Norwegian Pavilion on Monday.

More than 100 Houston-area classroom teachers and 200 students attended the Energy Education Institute where teachers learned how to teach scientific concepts of energy and its importance in a fun and exciting way. Participating students saw firsthand the exciting opportunities the oil and gas industry can offer. 

The Annual OTC Dinner was attended by more than 1,000 industry leaders and conference attendees, and raised $250,000 for the Offshore Energy Center. OTC also presented its 2013 Distinguished Achievement Award to Ken Arnold; OTC Heritage Awards to James Brill and Dendy Sloan; and the Distinguished Achievement Award for Companies, Organizations, or Institutions to Total's Pazflor deep offshore development at the sold-out event on the floor of Reliant Stadium.

OTC 2014 takes place 5-8 May 2014 at Reliant Park.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

OTC 2013 Sees Second-Highest Attendance in Show History

Experts from the offshore energy industry around the world came together May 6-9 for the 2013 Offshore Technology Conference at Reliant Park in Houston. Attendance at the conference reached a 30-year high of 104,800, the second highest in show history and up 17 percent from last year.

Attendance surpassed the 2012 total of 89,400 and the sold-out exhibition was the largest in show history at 652,185 square feet, up from 641,350 square feet in 2012. The event had 2,728 companies representing 40 countries, including 244 new exhibitors in 2013. International companies made up 39 percent of exhibitors.

"We had a terrific conference with deep and broad technical coverage, supported by excellent panels and executive keynote presentations," said Steve Balint chairman of OTC. "Technology is at the heart of the offshore industry and it was all here on display at OTC 2013."

This year's event featured nine panel sessions, 29 executive keynote presentations at luncheons and breakfasts, and 298 technical papers. Speakers from major IOCs, NOCs, and independent operators presented their views on the current challenges and future directions of the industry.

OTC's Spotlight on New Technology recognized 15 technologies for their innovation in allowing the industry to produce offshore resources.

Governors (Texas, Alabama, Alaska, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina) from the Outer Continental Shelf Governors Coalition participated on a panel discussion on offshore energy development and the need for improved cooperation between the states and the Federal government.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell toured the exhibition floor and held a press conference where she discussed her commitment to work with industry leaders to ensure safe and environmentally responsible offshore oil and gas operations.

Energy ministers and national oil company senior executives participated on a panel where they shared their perspectives on how the industry and its partnership models should adjust to address future supply challenges and what role companies and governments should play to shape the energy future.

Norway's Crown Prince Haakon and his wife, the Crown Princess Mette-Marit attended the Annual OTC Dinner on Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Norway's participation in OTC. The royal couple toured the exhibition floor where more than 60 Norwegian companies were part of Norwegian Pavilion on Monday.

More than 100 Houston-area classroom teachers and 200 students attended the Energy Education Institute where teachers learned how to teach scientific concepts of energy and its importance in a fun and exciting way. Participating students saw firsthand the exciting opportunities the oil and gas industry can offer. 

The Annual OTC Dinner was attended by more than 1,000 industry leaders and conference attendees, and raised $250,000 for the Offshore Energy Center. OTC also presented its 2013 Distinguished Achievement Award to Ken Arnold; OTC Heritage Awards to James Brill and Dendy Sloan; and the Distinguished Achievement Award for Companies, Organizations, or Institutions to Total's Pazflor deep offshore development at the sold-out event on the floor of Reliant Stadium.

OTC 2014 takes place 5-8 May 2014 at Reliant Park.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

Confusing the History on the Keystone XL

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney this week, on the administration’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline:

"In terms of Keystone, as you all know, the history here is pretty clear. And the fact is because Republicans decided to play political with Keystone, their action essentially forced the administration to deny the permit process because they insisted on a time frame in which it was impossible to completely approve the pipeline." 

Wait. In the span of two sentences the history on the Keystone XL took a pretty good beating. In fact, in the exchange with White House reporters the only thing that’s clear is that Carney’s job was to make the Keystone XL history unclear. Let’s parse this statement by the press secretary and others.

First, the fact is the Keystone XL has been sitting on the administration’s plate for more than three years – or about twice as long as similar approvals have taken in the past. Talk of a rushed time frame to “completely approve the pipeline” is absurd after more than three years, three successful environmental reviews and numerous public hearings across the country.

More from Carney, quizzed by ABC’s Jake Tapper on how the president could claim to be for an all-of-the-above energy strategy and reject a pipeline that would bring upwards of 800,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada:

"But the President didn't turn down the Keystone pipeline.”

Whoah! The president is the chief executive. It’s his administration.

Carney:

“There was a process in place, with long precedent, run out of the State Department because of the issue of the pipeline crossing an international boundary …”

Suggesting that the State Department’s process was beyond the reach of the White House, in a kind of the-buck-stops-over-there assertion, is just dodging responsibility for a decision that clearly runs counter to the national interest.

Carney:

"The Keystone XL decision “required an amount of time for proper for review after an alternate route was deemed necessary through Nebraska at the request of the Republican Governor of Nebraska and other stakeholders in Nebraska and the region that needed to play out, to be done appropriately. You can't review and approve a pipeline, the route for which doesn't even exist.”

Now blame shifts to Nebraska and Gov. Dave Heineman, who objected to the pipeline’s route through the state’s Sand Hills region. But here’s Heineman last month, puzzled that the administration continues to use Nebraska as an excuse to shelve the project. The governor said the pipeline could start from either end and finish in Nebraska, which is possible because all of the other approvals are in place and because no one believes the pipeline won’t win final approval from Nebraska:

“At a minimum, the president of the United States could do a conditional yes. … Since the Department of State basically approved the old route, we don’t really think at the end of the day there is going to be a challenge there. … When you have an 8.5 percent unemployment rate in America – this is a no brainer.”

So yes, Carney’s memory on the Keystone XL needs refreshing. (See Sean Hackbarth’s post over at FreeEnterprise.com.) The pipeline would create 20,000 U.S. jobs during its construction phase and be integral to fully utilizing Canada’s oil sands resources that could create 500,000 U.S. jobs by 2035. As Hackbarth notes, the project has labor union and business support.

Meanwhile, Carney’s boss keeps talking about an all-of-the-above energy strategy – words that ring hollow when you look at what the real history of the administration’s handling of the Keystone XL pipeline.

View the original article here

Confusing the History on the Keystone XL

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney this week, on the administration’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline:

"In terms of Keystone, as you all know, the history here is pretty clear. And the fact is because Republicans decided to play political with Keystone, their action essentially forced the administration to deny the permit process because they insisted on a time frame in which it was impossible to completely approve the pipeline." 

Wait. In the span of two sentences the history on the Keystone XL took a pretty good beating. In fact, in the exchange with White House reporters the only thing that’s clear is that Carney’s job was to make the Keystone XL history unclear. Let’s parse this statement by the press secretary and others.

First, the fact is the Keystone XL has been sitting on the administration’s plate for more than three years – or about twice as long as similar approvals have taken in the past. Talk of a rushed time frame to “completely approve the pipeline” is absurd after more than three years, three successful environmental reviews and numerous public hearings across the country.

More from Carney, quizzed by ABC’s Jake Tapper on how the president could claim to be for an all-of-the-above energy strategy and reject a pipeline that would bring upwards of 800,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada:

"But the President didn't turn down the Keystone pipeline.”

Whoah! The president is the chief executive. It’s his administration.

Carney:

“There was a process in place, with long precedent, run out of the State Department because of the issue of the pipeline crossing an international boundary …”

Suggesting that the State Department’s process was beyond the reach of the White House, in a kind of the-buck-stops-over-there assertion, is just dodging responsibility for a decision that clearly runs counter to the national interest.

Carney:

"The Keystone XL decision “required an amount of time for proper for review after an alternate route was deemed necessary through Nebraska at the request of the Republican Governor of Nebraska and other stakeholders in Nebraska and the region that needed to play out, to be done appropriately. You can't review and approve a pipeline, the route for which doesn't even exist.”

Now blame shifts to Nebraska and Gov. Dave Heineman, who objected to the pipeline’s route through the state’s Sand Hills region. But here’s Heineman last month, puzzled that the administration continues to use Nebraska as an excuse to shelve the project. The governor said the pipeline could start from either end and finish in Nebraska, which is possible because all of the other approvals are in place and because no one believes the pipeline won’t win final approval from Nebraska:

“At a minimum, the president of the United States could do a conditional yes. … Since the Department of State basically approved the old route, we don’t really think at the end of the day there is going to be a challenge there. … When you have an 8.5 percent unemployment rate in America – this is a no brainer.”

So yes, Carney’s memory on the Keystone XL needs refreshing. (See Sean Hackbarth’s post over at FreeEnterprise.com.) The pipeline would create 20,000 U.S. jobs during its construction phase and be integral to fully utilizing Canada’s oil sands resources that could create 500,000 U.S. jobs by 2035. As Hackbarth notes, the project has labor union and business support.

Meanwhile, Carney’s boss keeps talking about an all-of-the-above energy strategy – words that ring hollow when you look at what the real history of the administration’s handling of the Keystone XL pipeline.

View the original article here

Confusing the History on the Keystone XL

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney this week, on the administration’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline:

"In terms of Keystone, as you all know, the history here is pretty clear. And the fact is because Republicans decided to play political with Keystone, their action essentially forced the administration to deny the permit process because they insisted on a time frame in which it was impossible to completely approve the pipeline." 

Wait. In the span of two sentences the history on the Keystone XL took a pretty good beating. In fact, in the exchange with White House reporters the only thing that’s clear is that Carney’s job was to make the Keystone XL history unclear. Let’s parse this statement by the press secretary and others.

First, the fact is the Keystone XL has been sitting on the administration’s plate for more than three years – or about twice as long as similar approvals have taken in the past. Talk of a rushed time frame to “completely approve the pipeline” is absurd after more than three years, three successful environmental reviews and numerous public hearings across the country.

More from Carney, quizzed by ABC’s Jake Tapper on how the president could claim to be for an all-of-the-above energy strategy and reject a pipeline that would bring upwards of 800,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada:

"But the President didn't turn down the Keystone pipeline.”

Whoah! The president is the chief executive. It’s his administration.

Carney:

“There was a process in place, with long precedent, run out of the State Department because of the issue of the pipeline crossing an international boundary …”

Suggesting that the State Department’s process was beyond the reach of the White House, in a kind of the-buck-stops-over-there assertion, is just dodging responsibility for a decision that clearly runs counter to the national interest.

Carney:

"The Keystone XL decision “required an amount of time for proper for review after an alternate route was deemed necessary through Nebraska at the request of the Republican Governor of Nebraska and other stakeholders in Nebraska and the region that needed to play out, to be done appropriately. You can't review and approve a pipeline, the route for which doesn't even exist.”

Now blame shifts to Nebraska and Gov. Dave Heineman, who objected to the pipeline’s route through the state’s Sand Hills region. But here’s Heineman last month, puzzled that the administration continues to use Nebraska as an excuse to shelve the project. The governor said the pipeline could start from either end and finish in Nebraska, which is possible because all of the other approvals are in place and because no one believes the pipeline won’t win final approval from Nebraska:

“At a minimum, the president of the United States could do a conditional yes. … Since the Department of State basically approved the old route, we don’t really think at the end of the day there is going to be a challenge there. … When you have an 8.5 percent unemployment rate in America – this is a no brainer.”

So yes, Carney’s memory on the Keystone XL needs refreshing. (See Sean Hackbarth’s post over at FreeEnterprise.com.) The pipeline would create 20,000 U.S. jobs during its construction phase and be integral to fully utilizing Canada’s oil sands resources that could create 500,000 U.S. jobs by 2035. As Hackbarth notes, the project has labor union and business support.

Meanwhile, Carney’s boss keeps talking about an all-of-the-above energy strategy – words that ring hollow when you look at what the real history of the administration’s handling of the Keystone XL pipeline.

View the original article here