“It has been a privilege, and a pleasure, to be afforded the opportunity to serve this great industry,” Dr. Hunt remarked. “Many friendships, fond memories and shared experiences have made the last quarter century the absolute best career anyone could imagine.”

Mr Colville brings to IADC more than 30 years’ experience in corporate public affairs and government relations, with extensive on-the-ground experience in North and South America, Europe, South Africa, Middle East, Eurasia and Asia Pacific.

“I am honored and delighted to be handed the baton of responsibility for driving the future development of the IADC towards enabling our members to meet the growing challenges facing the drilling industry,” Mr Colville said.

Mr Colville previously served as Vice President-Communications for Royal Dutch Shell – Projects & Technology Business, a position he held since August 2009. He moved to that position after serving as Vice President-Communications – Global Gas Business for Royal Dutch Shell, and had joined the company in December 2006 in that position. 

Prior to Shell, Mr Colville served in various management-level policy, government and public affairs positions for Chevron, which he joined in 1997.

His earlier background includes seven years as an industry advocate, working in London and Brussels since 1990 to implement public and government-affairs campaigns. Mr Colville began his career in the UK Department of Trade and Industry in 1979, working in key policy divisions on trade regulations, competition regulation and project management.

He is a member of the International Association of Business Communicators, and enjoys coaching rugby, sailing and skiing.

IADC is dedicated to enhancing the interests of oil-and-gas and geothermal drilling contractors worldwide. IADC’s contract-drilling members own most of the world’s land and offshore drilling units and drill the vast majority of the wells that produce the planet’s oil and gas. IADC’s membership also includes oil-and-gas producers, and manufacturers and suppliers of oilfield equipment and services. Founded in 1940, IADC’s mission is to improve industry health, safety and environmental practices; advance drilling and completion technology; and champion responsible standards, practices, legislation and regulations that provide for safe, efficient and environmentally sound drilling operations worldwide. IADC holds Accredited Observer status at the International Maritime Organization and the International Seabed Authority, specialized agencies of the United Nations. The Association is a leader in developing standards for industry training, notably its Well Control Accreditation Program (WellCAP)® and rig-floor orientation program, RIG PASS®. IADC is headquartered in Houston and has offices in Washington D.C., the Netherlands, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as chapters in the UK, Venezuela, Brazil, Australasia, South Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and across the United States. For more information, visit the IADC website at www.iadc.org.

Mr Denkowski will remain in charge of all Accreditation and Certification activities, including researching and developing new market opportunities and products. He continues to direct the operations of IADC accreditation programs, program development and implementation, general communications, administration and quality control. IADC’s Accreditation and Certification Programs is ISO 9001 certified, and oversees accreditation through WellCAP, Rig Pass, Competency Assurance and Drilling Industry Training. The department is also involved in the STEPS Network and OSHA initiatives.

“Mark brings a wealth of practical, drilling industry experience to IADC,” said Dr Lee Hunt, President of IADC. “His extensive background in drilling industry training will serve him well in leading our skilled accreditation team to provide ever-better services and programs for our members.”

Mr Denkowski has over 30 years of industry experience. Offshore he has worked in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and West Africa for Smedvig Asia, Santa Fe and GlobalSantaFe. Onshore, Mr Denkowski has worked for GlobalSantaFe as an International Employment Manager, for Transocean as North American Employment Manager, and most recently as the Training & Development Manager for Frontier Drilling. While with Frontier Drilling, Mr Denkowski was a member of the IADC Training Committee and Chairman of the IADC Competency Assurance Panel. He has a BS degree in Earth and Mineral Science from Pennsylvania State University.

IADC is dedicated to enhancing the interests of oil-and-gas and geothermal drilling contractors worldwide. IADC’s contract-drilling members own most of the world’s land and offshore drilling units and drill the vast majority of the wells that produce the planet’s oil and gas. IADC’s membership also includes oil-and-gas producers, and manufacturers and suppliers of oilfield equipment and services. Founded in 1940, IADC’s mission is to improve industry health, safety and environmental practices; advance drilling and completion technology; and champion responsible standards, practices, legislation and regulations that provide for safe, efficient and environmentally sound drilling operations worldwide. IADC holds Accredited Observer status at the International Maritime Organization and the International Seabed Authority, specialized agencies of the United Nations. The Association is a leader in developing standards for industry training, notably its Well Control Accreditation Program (WellCAP)® and rig-floor orientation program, RIG PASS®. IADC is headquartered in Houston and has offices in Washington D.C., the Netherlands, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as chapters in the UK, Venezuela, Brazil, Australasia, South Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and across the United States. For more information, visit the IADC website at www.iadc.org.

• Secretary-Treasurer: Scott Daniels, Atwood Oceanics, Director – Financial Reporting
• President: Lee Hunt, International Association of Drilling Contractors
• Executive Vice President – Government Affairs: Brian T. Petty, International Association of Drilling Contractors
• Vice President, Land Division: Ronnie Witherspoon, Superior Well Services, a Nabors Company, President
• Vice President, Offshore Division: Thomas P. Burke, Rowan Companies, Chief Operating Officer
• Vice President, Drilling & Well Services Division: David Reid, National Oilwell Varco, Senior Vice President Global Accounts and Chief Sales Officer

According to Dr. Lee Hunt, IADC president, “I look forward to working with this prestigious group of officers as IADC continues to concentrate on policy issues, expanded international training practices, health, safety and environmental policy initiatives for the onshore and offshore drilling industry worldwide.”

IADC is dedicated to enhancing the interests of oil-and-gas and geothermal drilling contractors worldwide. IADC’s contract-drilling members own most of the world’s land and offshore drilling units and drill the vast majority of the wells that produce the planet’s oil and gas. IADC’s membership also includes oil-and-gas producers, and manufacturers and suppliers of oilfield equipment and services. Founded in 1940, IADC’s mission is to improve industry health, safety and environmental practices; advance drilling and completion technology; and champion responsible standards, practices, legislation and regulations that provide for safe, efficient and environmentally sound drilling operations worldwide. IADC holds Accredited Observer status at the International Maritime Organization and the International Seabed Authority, specialized agencies of the United Nations. The Association is a leader in developing standards for industry training, notably its Well Control Accreditation Program (WellCAP)® and rig-floor orientation program, RIG PASS®. IADC is headquartered in Houston and has offices in Washington D.C., the Netherlands, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as chapters in the UK, Venezuela, Brazil, Australasia, South Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and across the United States. For more information, visit the IADC website at www.iadc.org.

The IADC grant will provide long-term support, including the hiring of a full-time energy and environmental reporter, to enable the station to examine, as part of its ongoing programming, key issues, technology advances and legislative actions impacting the industry. The station is partnering with KUT-FM, the NPR affiliate in Austin, in the effort. KUT-FM also will hire a full-time reporter, as well as an online reporter.

“We in the energy industry are proud not only of its technical ingenuity, but of our history as good corporate citizens who take seriously our role as stewards of the environment and our employees’ safety,” IADC president Dr. Lee Hunt said. “The KUHF Energy & Environment desk will provide an important vehicle to communicate our industry’s contributions throughout Houston, the state of Texas, and potentially across the United States.”

The energy and environmental news segments will be inserted into KUHF’s daily news format in the context of its regular 24/7 news programming, such as Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Stories also will be offered to networks such as BBC’s World News & Features, American Public Media’s Marketplace and other national news providers that have already expressed interest, said John Proffitt, general manager and CEO of KUHF and its affiliate station, KUHA Classical 91.7 FM.

“Houston is the world’s energy capital, and we need to have the kind of ongoing reporting that will do it justice,” Mr Proffitt said. “The IADC grant will enable us to plan several years going forward and lay a foundation to get the resources in place to do a terrific job of reporting on energy from the Houston perspective.” The long-term goal is to have two or three reporters covering energy and environmental issues.

Regular news segments and features will address key developments and issues impacting the industry such as advances in hydraulic fracturing and offshore drilling safety, green energy companies being established in Texas and legislative initiatives. Interviews and discussions with experts from the industry also will be featured. The reports will be available in traditional broadcasts, blogs and mobile services. “So often in the news, questions about the energy industry’s activities and growth are tied into environmental concerns and policies, so we thought it would be a good idea to have a reporting function that looks at these areas simultaneously,” Mr Proffitt said.

IADC is dedicated to enhancing the interests of oil-and-gas and geothermal drilling contractors worldwide. IADC’s contract-drilling members own most of the world’s land and offshore drilling units and drill the vast majority of the wells that produce the planet’s oil and gas. IADC’s membership also includes oil-and-gas producers, and manufacturers and suppliers of oilfield equipment and services. Founded in 1940, IADC’s mission is to improve industry health, safety and environmental practices; advance drilling and completion technology; and champion responsible standards, practices, legislation and regulations that provide for safe, efficient and environmentally sound drilling operations worldwide. IADC holds Accredited Observer status at the International Maritime Organization and the International Seabed Authority, specialized agencies of the United Nations. The Association is a leader in developing standards for industry training, notably its Well Control Accreditation Program (WellCAP)® and rig-floor orientation program, RIG PASS®. IADC is headquartered in Houston and has offices in Washington D.C., the Netherlands, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as chapters in the UK, Venezuela, Brazil, Australasia, South Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and across the United States. For more information, visit the IADC website at www.iadc.org.

KUHF ranks fourth in the greater Houston morning drive-time market and 17^th in the overall market, according to May 2011 Arbitron data. An estimated 360,000 listeners tune into the station each week. Houston is one of several US markets participating in the NPR pilot program to offer programming on various issues impacting local communities.

Houston, 7 August 2008 – The International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) has
announced that Joseph Eustace, Executive Vice President and President of Production Services
Division of Pioneer Drilling Company, was elected Chairman of the IADC Well Servicing
Committee.

Joseph Eustace was appointed to his present position at Pioneer on March 1, 2008. Before
joining Pioneer Drilling Company, Mr. Eustace served as President of WEDGE Oil and Gas
Services since 2004. Prior to 2004, he served as Group Vice President for Key Energy Services
from 1998 to 2004, and as Vice President of Operations for Dawson Production Services from
1982 until Key Energy Services acquired Dawson Production Services in 1998. Mr. Eustace
holds a degree in Agribusiness from Texas Tech University.

Dr. Lee Hunt, IADC President, stated “IADC is privileged to have Joe chair the Well Servicing
Committee. As the Committee pushes forward, his expertise and leadership will help shape how
our industry works with other organizations to improve well servicing for the drilling industry.”
The Well Servicing Committee was developed to advance the interests of the IADC well-servicing
members in health, safety and environment (HSE), well control, training, regulation/legislation and
other areas where IADC’s expertise proves critical to the drilling industry. The Committee’s
charter is to establish processes and programs that work independently and in collaboration with
other key industry organizations.

“The men and women whose livelihoods depend on the offshore oil and gas exploration and production industry in the Gulf of Mexico deeply appreciate the efforts of our legislators to lift the drilling moratorium,” said IADC President Dr. Lee Hunt. “Industry representatives have communicated to the Interior Department and Congress our industry’s strong commitment to rigorous requirements for well design, enhanced training, and adoption of safety case requirements for Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODUs). We are dismayed by the continued blanket suspension of deepwater drilling in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Lifting the moratorium is critical to tens of thousands of jobs in the deepwater industry and to the oil and gas service sector in the Gulf Coast region and throughout the country.”

***
IADC is dedicated to enhancing the interests of oil-and-gas and geothermal drilling contractors worldwide. IADC’s contract-drilling members own most of the world’s land and offshore drilling units and drill the vast majority of the wells that produce the planet’s oil and gas. IADC’s membership also includes oil-and-gas producers, and manufacturers and suppliers of oilfield equipment and services. Founded in 1940, IADC’s mission is to improve industry health, safety and environmental practices; advance drilling and completion technology; and champion responsible standards, practices, legislation and regulations that provide for safe, efficient and environmentally sound drilling operations worldwide. IADC holds Accredited Observer status at the International Maritime Organization and the International Seabed Authority, specialized agencies of the United Nations. The Association is a leader in developing standards for industry training, notably its Well Control Accreditation Program (WellCAP) and rig-floor orientation program, RIG PASS. IADC is headquartered in Houston and has offices in Washington D.C., the Netherlands, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as chapters in the UK, Venezuela, Brazil, Australasia, South Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and across the United States. For more information, visit the IADC website at www.iadc.org.

“In issuing this new moratorium, the Department of the Interior has chosen to ignore volumes of evidence regarding the industry’s safe operating practices, as well as industry’s exhaustively produced recommendations – made at DOI’s request – for moving forward even more safely,” said IADC President Dr. Lee Hunt.

IADC endorses the comments of Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., who warned in a 4 June Op/Ed of the dangers of overreaction: “Congress cannot afford to react to this disaster as we did following the meltdown at Three Mile Island, when the government unwisely halted all nuclear power plant construction for 30 years,” she wrote (http://landrieu.senate.gov/mediacenter/inthenews/06-04-2010-1.cfm).

The 12 July drilling suspension bars all drilling operations using subsea blowout preventers (BOP), as well as those using surface BOPs from floating facilities. Unlike the original moratorium, water depth is not referenced. A 22 June court ruling lifted the earlier moratorium. The current suspension will extend through 30 Nov., although DOI indicates that it could be lifted sooner.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar does not dispute that wells can be drilled safely using accepted industry practices augmented with strengthened requirements. The DOI’s concerns in the 12 July notice center on “blowout containment shortcomings” and “spill response capabilities that are strained by the BP oil spill.”

“Prevention is the key to safety in drilling, whether offshore or land,” Dr. Hunt said. “The industry’s history of drilling 42,000 Gulf of Mexico wells over more than six decades prove that, when accepted practices are followed, the threat of spillage is minimal.”

Drilling could safely resume, he added, through non-hydrocarbon-bearing strata with virtually no risk.

The continued moratorium threatens to ship overseas a high-tech industry providing well-paying jobs to people residing across the USA. An IADC study of 11,875 offshore workers placed these people in 296 Congressional Districts – 68 percent of total districts nationwide.

Further, companies across the nation provide goods and services for the offshore industry, as previously reported by IADC.

The continued moratorium will threaten the nation’s energy security by increasing imports. The USA consumes more than 20 million barrels of oil each day, yet produces less than half of that. Roughly half of USA oil production comes from the Gulf of Mexico, 80 percent of that from deep water. While production is allowed to continue under the new moratorium, the cutback in drilling and the exodus of quality rigs portend falling production in the future. Once rigs are working outside the USA on long-term contracts, as is common practice, their return will be years away, if at all.

IADC also encourages offshore producing companies to develop thorough plans for spill response and oil containment that will satisfy the Department of Interior and result in an rapid end to the moratorium.

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IADC is dedicated to enhancing the interests of oil-and-gas and geothermal drilling contractors worldwide. IADC’s contract-drilling members own most of the world’s land and offshore drilling units and drill the vast majority of the wells that produce the planet’s oil and gas. IADC’s membership also includes oil-and-gas producers, and manufacturers and suppliers of oilfield equipment and services. Founded in 1940, IADC’s mission is to improve industry health, safety and environmental practices; advance drilling and completion technology; and champion responsible standards, practices, legislation and regulations that provide for safe, efficient and environmentally sound drilling operations worldwide. IADC holds Accredited Observer status at the International Maritime Organization and the International Seabed Authority, specialized agencies of the United Nations. The Association is a leader in developing standards for industry training, notably its Well Control Accreditation Program (WellCAP) and rig-floor orientation program, RIG PASS. IADC is headquartered in Houston and has offices in Washington D.C., the Netherlands, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as chapters in the UK, Venezuela, Brazil, Australasia, South Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and across the United States. For more information, visit the IADC website at www.iadc.org.

IADC presented compelling data that offshore drilling, including operations in deep water, have a proven record of safety when conducted according to accepted industry standards. Some 14,000 deep-water wells have been drilled without major incident until the recent Macondo blowout, “an extreme and unprecedented event,” the testimony said. Since 2006, according to government statistics, more than 2,500 deep-water wells have been drilled, whereas only three well control incidents have occurred over that time, excluding the Macondo blowout. The amount of oil spilled in those three accidents was only 25.5 barrels.

The employment and economic implications of a continued drilling ban are severe and potentially catastrophic, IADC said. A previously reported IADC study of 11,875 offshore and support personnel shows that these individuals call 296 Congressional Districts home. This represents 68% of all US Congressional Districts. (For more information on this study, email IADC’s contacts listed above.)

“Few states lack representation among this group of US citizens,” the testimony states.

The study does not include the tens of thousands of other workers at oil field service companies, equipment manufacturers, oil companies, or supporting industries, such as caterers or machine shops.

While a significant portion of the goods and services are manufactured along the Gulf Coast, firms across the nation supply the offshore energy industry. Among IADC’s research examples are

• Wire rope from Missouri and Arkansas;
• Radiators from Minnesota;
• Steel and pipe from Ohio;
• Fabrics and uniforms from Illinois;
• Protective paints from Missouri;
• Machinery from Michigan;
• Engines from Illinois;
• Corrosion preventive materials from Illinois and Minnesota;
• Electrical cables from Connecticut;
• Drilling equipment from Illinois;
• Pipe-protective chemicals from Ohio;
• Drilling equipment from Kansas;
• Background checks and security services from Wisconsin;
• Safety footwear from Oregon.

“If offshore rigs move overseas due to a lack of opportunity in the Gulf of Mexico, these jobs go with them. It is unwise in these tough times to export good-paying jobs that support hard-working Americans. For when these jobs vanish, the economies of these citizens’ communities will teeter,” IADC testimony says.

IADC recommends a return to drilling that includes recertifying all blowout prevention equipment and ensuring their suitability for the rig and well design in compliance with the Department of Interior’s new standards. In addition, all personnel should be subject to industry and government-accepted standards for well-control procedures such as IADC’s own Well Control Accreditation Program (WellCAP®). Finally, IADC recommends all operator well plans, especially casing and cementing designs, should be reviewed to ensure sufficient pressure barriers and that the designs are fit for the purpose.

IADC endorsed the DOI’s recommendation to adopt the IADC Health, Safety & Environmental Case Guidelines (IADC HSE Case Guidelines) to facilitate Well Construction Interface Documents (WCID) for Gulf of Mexico operations. This system of risk management, submitted as part of an application to drill, is internationally recognized and accepted by all other countries and should be by the US also, IADC said.

IADC is dedicated to enhancing the interests of oil-and-gas and geothermal drilling contractors worldwide. Founded in 1940, IADC’s mission is to improve industry health, safety and environmental practices; advance drilling and completion technology; and champion responsible standards, practices, legislation and regulations that provide for safe, efficient and environmentally sound drilling operations worldwide. IADC holds Accredited Observer status at the International Maritime Organization and the International Seabed Authority, specialized agencies of the United Nations. The Association is a leader in developing standards for industry training, notably its Well Control Accreditation Program (WellCAP) and rig-floor orientation program, RIG PASS. IADC is headquartered in Houston and has offices in Washington D.C., the Netherlands, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as chapters in the UK, Venezuela, Brazil, Australasia, South Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and across the United States. For more information, visit www.IADC.org.

The data on residences of 11,875 offshore employees showed that these workers call 68% of all US Congressional Districts home.

The study drew data from nine offshore drilling contractors and one boat company supporting the offshore industry. Residences of these workers are spread across 296 Congressional Districts. There are 435 Congressional Districts in the United States.

This study does not include the thousands of workers at oilfield service companies, large and small; equipment manufacturers, whether “mom and pop” operations or publicly traded firms; nor at oil-producing companies.

“Each direct rig job is supported by four to five support personnel, whether working offshore or on the beach,” Dr Hunt said. “Beyond that, as this study shows, communities across the United States depend on the wages of offshore workers.

“The economic trauma that this deepwater moratorium is causing spans the entire United States,” Dr Hunt warned. “Offshore workers call all of America home.”

Editors: Maps detailing population concentration by Congressional District in JPG format and high-resolution PDF versions are available!

US Offshore GOM Employees by Congressional District – Nationwide

• High-resolution PDF (4 megs)
• Medium-resolution JPG (106 kB)

US Offshore GOM Employees by Congressional District – Gulf Coast, Southeast & Midwest

• High-resolution PDF (4 megs)
• Medium-resolution JPG (106 kB)

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IADC is dedicated to enhancing the interests of oil-and-gas and geothermal drilling contractors worldwide. IADC’s contract-drilling members own most of the world’s land and offshore drilling units and drill the vast majority of the wells that produce the planet’s oil and gas. IADC’s membership also includes oil-and-gas producers, and manufacturers and suppliers of oilfield equipment and services. Founded in 1940, IADC’s mission is to improve industry health, safety and environmental practices; advance drilling and completion technology; and champion responsible standards, practices, legislation and regulations that provide for safe, efficient and environmentally sound drilling operations worldwide. IADC holds Accredited Observer status at the International Maritime Organization and the International Seabed Authority, specialized agencies of the United Nations. The Association is a leader in developing standards for industry training, notably its Well Control Accreditation Program (WellCAP) and rig-floor orientation program, RIG PASS. IADC is headquartered in Houston and has offices in Washington D.C., the Netherlands, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as chapters in the UK, Venezuela, Brazil, Australasia, South Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and across the United States. For more information, visit the IADC website at www.iadc.org.