Wildcatters Gala Honors Oil and Gas Leaders

The Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association bestowed its highest honors during the association’s recent Wildcatters Gala at the Skirvin Hilton in Oklahoma City.

The event honored the late Aubrey McClendon as the inaugural OIPA Legend of the Industry, included the induction of Mark Monroe into the OIPA’s Wildcatters Hall of Honor and recognized U.S. Sen. James Lankford as a “Friend of the Wildcatter.”

McClendon, a 30-year OIPA member, helped launch the U.S. energy renaissance during his time at Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy, promoting the increased use of American natural gas and perfecting the use of horizontal drilling to open vast new oil and natural gas fields across the nation. His success in business rippled through the community, and with McClendon leading the charge, a revitalized oil and natural gas industry breathed new life into Oklahoma City.

“We created the Legend of the Industry award to recognize the men and women who have led this industry to greatness, and there is no one more deserving than Aubrey McClendon,” said OIPA Chairman Jeffrey McDougall, president and owner of Oklahoma City’s JMA Energy Company. “The vast oil and natural gas resources unlocked under his leadership revitalized an industry, our state and the nation. Aubrey was truly an American entrepreneurial hero, whose love for the oil and natural gas industry was infectious, and his demand for excellence drives his peers to demand the same.”

The Wildcatters Hall of Honor distinction is presented to OIPA members who have distinguished themselves over a long period of involvement in supporting independent producer issues and candidates through the association’s political action effort. J.M. “Jack” Graves was the inaugural member of the Hall of Honor, inducted on Feb. 14, 1997. Other Wildcatter Hall of Honor inductees include R. Harlan Krumme, Harrison Townes, G. Carl Hale, Richard Bogert, Kent Harrell, Mike “Bubba” Cantrell, Tom McCasland Jr., Bob Waller, Lew Ward, F.W. “Pete” Brown, Melvin Moran, Harold Hamm, David House, Mike McDonald, Robert J. “Bob” Sullivan and Mike Cross.

Monroe has been a director of the OIPA since 1996 and an OIPA member for more than 35 years, serving as the association’s chairman in 2001. Since 2001, Monroe has been a member of the board of directors of Continental Resources, where he served as president and chief operating officer from 2005 to 2008. Prior to his time at Continental, he served as president and CEO of Louis Dreyfus Natural Gas Corp. and chief financial officer of Bogert Oil Company.

“The OIPA, and the oil and gas industry as a whole, is blessed to have Mark Monroe as a member,” said OIPA President Mike Terry. “His vision and dedication have made him a true leader in our association, our industry and our state.”

Lankford was recognized for his continued support of the oil and natural gas industry, including his efforts in helping lift a 40-year-old ban on American crude oil exports. The elimination of the ban erased the price difference between American benchmark crude West Texas Intermediate and the worldwide benchmark of Brent that had reached a high of more than $25 and averaged approximately $10 in 2015. Elimination of the $10 difference between worldwide and American oil prices added $1.5 billion to Oklahoma’s economy and generated approximately $100 million in gross production tax revenue for the state at a time when it was needed most.

“With the removal of the export ban, the ability to ship crude oil around the world means Oklahoma crude oil producers will not be hampered by U.S. refinery constraints,” OIPA Executive Vice President of Governmental Affairs Tim Wigley said. “Opening the world to Oklahoma oil is a key part of optimism returning to the oilpatch, and it is the Sooner State that has prospered.”