The Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation hosted their 9th annual Teachers Workshop on Oil & Gas Resources at MSUB in Billings last month during the week of June 24th. Forty two teachers from across Montana, predominantly in Math and Science, spent a week on campus to attend workshops covering everything from geology, to hydraulic fracturing and drilling, to refining. This year represented the largest group of teachers to attend since the first workshop was offered, affording educators a comprehensive look at the energy sector.
Speakers during the week included Tom Richmond of the Board of Oil and Gas Conservation, who discussed regulatory issues like those overseen by the Board; Leo Heath, Head of the Petroleum Engineering Department at Montana Tech, and former Petroleum Engineer; John Evans, former Petroleum Engineer and current Professor at Montana Tech; Geophysicist Jeff Zawilla; Geologist David Lopez; Petroleum Engineer for SM Energy and President of the Billings Chapter for the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Shawna Bonini; and Landman for Hancock Enterprises, Jack King.
Attendees spent eight hours in the classroom on most days, but also got an up close and personal look at the industry on a series of field trips.
They traveled to Cody, WY for the day to meet with folks from Marathon Oil at the historic Irma Hotel and Restaurant. An hour long presentation on Marathon’s work, including a breakdown of drilling and hydraulic fracturing given by Lindsey McCarty, Production Engineer for Marathon, was followed by a bus ride into Marathon’s Oregon Basin.
Later in the week, teachers were taken three hours away to a True Oil drilling rig operated by Petro Hunt in the Red River formation south of Wibaux, where they were greeted by Jeff Herman, Operations Manager for Petro Hunt. While on site, teachers witnessed several connections (the addition of a new joint to the drill pipe), and met with the onsite geologist to view drilling samples beneath a flourescent microscope which detects hydrocarbons.
En route to and from the drilling rig, Lana Petersen from Montana Tech showed several films, offering different viewpoints on the industry. They included TruthLand, SpOILed, and Gasland, which takes an opposing viewpoint of hydraulic fracturing. That film was followed by FrackNation, a documentary which debunks claims made in Gasland.
*Since January, the Montana Petroleum Association has been hosting free public screenings of FrackNation to educate Montanans on the benefits of “fracking” and to put to rest misconceptions about the process.
On the last day of the workshop, all forty two teachers made one final stop at the Phillips 66 refinery to learn about the downstream sector, including everything from the Renewable Fuel Standard and other federal mandates, to the cost of refining and how the price of gas is determined.
To conclude the workshop, teachers were tasked with creating a lesson plan for their students, and earned continuing education credits for attending.
Hosts for the event all agreed that in addition to being the largest group ever, it was also the most inquisitive. Issues on the minds of teachers included flared gas management, preserving clean water, reclamation, Made in America drilling equipment and frac sand, land and mineral owner rights, and the social impacts that the increased population has contributed to in Eastern Montana. Along with discussing the impacts, speakers at the workshop shared with teachers a long list of opportunities that now exist in Montana for students, thanks to the recent energy revolution in the Bakken and beyond.
With a near 100% job placement rating from Montana Tech’s Petroleum Engineering Department, and a shortage of workers in the field, teachers were encouraged by Petroleum Engineer and MT Tech alum, Shawna Bonini, to “make students flex their muscles a bit.” Bonini stressed the importance of strong math and science skills, as well as good grades for scholarships and success in Petroleum Engineering courses.
Students who graduate with a degree in Petroleum Engineering are practically guaranteed employment in positions with average starting pay between $80,000 and $150,000, plus sign-on bonuses. Several of the teachers in attendance were overheard expressing an interest in returning to college themselves to take up the trade.
Evaluation forms turned in after the workshop revealed that, overwhelmingly, teachers had a favorable opinion of all aspects of the oil and gas sector, including its environmental impact. This fall, The MT Petroleum Assoc. and the Society of Petroleum Engineers will continue the outreach to teachers and students, giving informative classroom presentations throughout the state.
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