Petroleum Association of Wyoming Statement on Governor Gordon’s Migration Corridor Executive Order

The Petroleum Association of Wyoming (PAW) supports Governor Gordon’s stated desire to preempt federal government overreach on state-managed wildlife and the need to end federal deferrals of oil and natural gas lease sales.  Like the Governor, we believe that Wyoming elected officials – not Washington bureaucrats – are best able to balance the need to protect our wildlife with the need to produce the energy that powers our lives.  The Governor’s Executive Order on Migration Corridors appropriately seeks to keep Wyoming in charge of our own resources and our own destiny.

However, as this effort progresses, PAW underscores the following:

The oil and natural gas industry is at a crossroads in Wyoming. Persistent low prices, global instability, and expanding regulatory burdens make exploration and production of Wyoming’s world-class oil and natural gas reserves increasingly difficult. Wyoming has lost ten rigs in the last year, equating to a displacement of hundreds of jobs from the Wyoming economy and a loss of millions in revenue to fund Wyoming’s schools.

Wyoming’s wildlife and wide-open spaces are important to us all.  Oil and natural gas production is more environmentally conscious than ever – utilizing the latest in science and technology to minimize disturbance to Wyoming’s wildlife and lands.  The men and women of the oil and natural gas industry work every day to ensure an appropriate balance that sustains opportunities for employment, uplifts Wyoming’s economy, and maintains our options for recreation and hunting.  After all, we live here too.

We appreciate that the Governor meaningfully engaged members of PAW in the process of developing his Executive Order. We look forward to a thoughtful implementation that recognizes the need for balance and avoids further regulatory creep at a time when the state needs oil and natural gas revenues more than ever.