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“If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles. ” — Doug Larson

Every summer our family treks down to Galveston for a little sun and relaxation. The kids enjoy one last hoorah before plunging their energies back into school and an endless parade of activities: dance, softball, karate and slumber parties.

I fish.

Fishing is the working man’s Zen art of meditation . . . a version of it, at least. This year the meditative theme must have been variety, because we caught everything from saltwater catfish to small sharks. The undisputed highlight, though, was the giant stingray landed by my cousin-in-law Toby. It took several men over an hour to bring in this magnificent creature. After successfully reigning it in we celebrated, took a few photos and then released the stingray back into the water.

Last night at 11:56 PM I stood on the rig floor with our drilling crew as they spudded the West Janice #1. This well marks our entry into a new chapter in the growth of this company. Using two new proprietary filtering processes, we are planning for success where past technologies have failed. It is amazing to see this project come to life. In the days leading up to drilling commencement I had the privilege of getting to know the rig hands and supervisors on site. They are the hardest working hands I’ve met in my career. Our operator, Evans Energy, has put an amazing team together. They have a passion for the oil and gas business. They are proud of what they do, and I know they can handle the challenges ahead.

Today I sat down with General Norman Schwarzkoph, former U.S. Army Commander-in-Chief and current host of World Business Review, to discuss the challenges facing the domestic oil and gas industry. Before we began the interview, General Schwarzkoph put me at ease by dropping by the Green Room and visiting with me and my family. After he gave my four children a lesson on the proper way to salute a General , we moved into the studio. My family was ushered to the control room so they could watch and the interview began.

I was definitely impressed with General Schwarzkoph’s questioning. He seemed to know a lot about the industry. After the shoot, the crew allowed my youngest son to get a feel for what it’s like to be behind the camera. For those of you who are interested, the interview will be airing on CNBC soon. I’ll post air dates when I have them. For now, I’m turning this business trip in to a full-fledged family vacation: Disney World, beach, great restaurants, fishing . . . the works.

Just for fun, let’s take a look back at the historical role of natural gas in some of the most fascinating cultures of the world. Here are a few facts from the University of Colorado at Boulder’s LSA website:

About 2,500 years ago, the Chinese recognized that natural gas could be put to work. The Chinese piped the gas from shallow wells and burned it under large pans to evaporate sea water for salt.Natural gas was first used in America to illuminate the streets of Baltimore in 1816. Soon after, in 1821, William Hart dug the first successful American natural gas well in Fredonia, New York. His well was 27 feet deep, quite shallow compared to today’s wells. The Fredonia Gas Light Company opened its doors in 1858 as the nation’s first natural gas company. By 1900, natural gas had been discovered in 17 states. In the past 40 years, the use of natural gas has grown dramatically. Today, natural gas accounts for about a quarter of the energy we use.

This one’s my favorite: The ancient peoples of Greece, Persia, and India discovered natural gas many centuries ago. The people were mystified by the burning springs created when natural gas seeping from cracks in the ground was ignited by lightning. They sometimes built temples around these eternal flames so they could worship the fire.

Many of you will be happy to know many of these uses have been preserved through history. There are still some U.S. cities that rely on natural gas to illuminate street lamps, such as Cincinnati, Ohio and Boston, Massachusetts. And although the mechanism has changed a bit, natural gas is still used to heat water. I can’t say the traditions of Greece, Persia, and India have fared quite as well, but two out of three is still pretty good. In addition, we have created many more uses that directly influence our daily lives. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration:

Approximately 23 percent of the energy consumption of the U.S. comes from natural gas. Over one-half of the homes in the U.S. use natural gas as their main heating fuel. Natural gas is also an essential raw material for many common products, such as: paints, fertilizer, plastics, antifreeze, dyes, photographic film, medicines, and explosives. We also get propane, a fuel we use in many of our backyard barbecue grills, when we process natural gas.

Industry depends on it. Natural gas has thousands of uses. It’s used to produce steel, glass, paper, clothing, brick, electricity and much more!

Homes use it too. More than 62.5 million homes use natural gas to fuel stoves, furnaces, water heaters, clothes dryers and other household appliances. It is also used to roast coffee, smoke meats, bake bread and much more.

Past and present, natural gas has made a significant impact on society. Roasted coffee beans, anyone?

But it has a significant role to play in reducing fossil fuel emissions. Let me explain:

Natural gas has recently made it into the spotlight, and for good reason: it’s clean burning. And in this post-industrialist era, that’s more than important. Green energy is a term for environmentally friendly, renewable sources of power and energy. Although natural gas doesn’t quite fit the definition of green energy (it is a finite resource and produces some carbon dioxide), it has recently garnered significant U.S. attention. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Natural gas burns more cleanly than other fossil fuels. It has fewer emissions of sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen than coal or oil, and it has almost no ash particles left after burning. Being a clean fuel is one reason that the use of natural gas, especially for electricity generation, has grown so much and is expected to grow even more in the future.”

As the number three source of energy in the U.S., natural gas is growing in market share, reducing the use of heavier pollutants such as coal. The trend is continuing as new technologies are increasing our access to domestic natural gas reserves. For instance, geologists have known for decades that there was natural gas in the Barnett Shale formation in Texas. But until the last decade, now one knew how to extract it in commercial amounts. Today the Barnett Shale produces about 1.4 Billion Cubic Feet (BCF) EVERY DAY. As the cleanest of the fossil fuels, increased usage of natural gas will be instrumental in decreasing pollution levels from all sectors. This is a good thing for American households, where more than 62.5 million homes depend on natural gas to fuel stoves, furnaces, water heaters, clothes dryers and other household appliances.

Oil and gas prices are always making headlines. This was especially true after the devastation caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Oil refineries were damaged beyond belief. The entire supply chain came to a grinding halt. It was a difficult time to say the least. In preparation for Katrina’s landfall, my company had to lay down a drilling rig to secure the prospect we were drilling. When Rita began approaching on Katrina’s heels, we had to lay the rig down again. Although I wasn’t thrilled about the inconvenience of it all, those safety measures saved the well. The Gulf Coast is one of the most prolific regions of the United States, and it comes with its own set of blessings and challenges. As an industry, I believe we learned a lot from the 2005 hurricane season, and it looks like we may be putting that knowledge into practice very soon.

The projections for the 2007 hurricane season indicate that we may be in for a very active year. The Tropical Meteorology Project at Colorado State University is predicting 9 hurricanes & 17 named storms. According to the study, the probability that one or more of these storms will hit the coast is well above average. As you might expect, oil companies are keeping a close eye on weather conditions. If a tropical storm or hurricane is likely to make landfall, they will begin securing production facilities and shutting in wells. These steps protect both our natural resources and the environment by preventing unnecessary leaks due to storm damage. Consumers will likely experience a spike in oil prices as both production and refining capacity fall. I’ll keep you posted on developments as they come from the field.

As this is the very first post, I’d like to thank you for stopping by. This blog will cover several topics in the oil and gas industry. I hope you enjoy it, and that you’ll leave comments with your thoughts and/or suggestions on the type of content you’d like to read more about.

Again, thanks for stopping by, and I hope to hear from you soon!

- Bret