Rigzone Website Survey Says Denver is World's No. 4 Ranked City in "Up and Coming" Oil and Gas Cities

A recent survey of "up and coming" cities for oil and gas professionals lists Denver as No. 4 in the world. According to the same survey, the No. 1 city is Dubai, United Arab Emirates, followed by Calgary, Canada, at No. 2 and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, No. 3.

The survey was conducted by Rigzone, a Houston-based website that calls itself the "gateway to the oil and gas industry."

David Kent, the president of Rigzone, told the Denver Business Journal, "Houston is considered the oil and gas capital of the world, but with its weather, 98 degrees and 98 percent humidity in the summer, I'd rather be in Denver. I'm not surprised that Denver popped up on the list" ("Gushing praise for Denver," July 8-14, 2011.).

Other cities ranked in the top 10 were: No. 5, Singapore; No. 6 Perth, Australia; No. 7, Cairo, Egypt; No. 8 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; No. 9, Jakarta, Indonesia; and No. 10, Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico.

The oil and gas industry in Colorado employs about 50,000 people directly while supporting nearly 200,000 additional jobs. The sector contributes $24 billion in value added economic output annually, according to the Colorado Oil and Gas Association.

Don Smith, director of the Denver Law Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Program, said, "Those of us who call Denver home are not surprised by Rigzone's survey findings. Denver is great place to live and do business. Moreover, Denver Law offers an exceptional array of courses that address oil and gas from domestic and international perspectives. Students from all across the world come to Denver Law to study about this important natural resources sector."

Denver Business Journal Energy Reporter Cathy Proctor Speaks at Denver Law: Explains Industry Trends as well as Dealing With the Media

Cathy Proctor, reporter for The Denver Business Journal, recently spoke to 30 Denver Law students. Ms. Proctor addressed trends in the energy sector in Colorado. Featured as part of the school’s Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program Speaker Series, Ms. Proctor has covered energy issues in the state and region for the Business Journal for more than 10 years.

The business audience in her readership, she said, is less interested in environmental issues per se, and more attuned to economic and financial dimensions arising from environmental concerns. She offered the example of a story she wrote portraying the smaller carbon footprint achieved by a building that was remodeled to become more green. The building manager reported to Ms. Proctor that the article inspired many readers to contact the manager to learn how they too might achieve the impressive energy savings that her story had reported were a product of the renovation.

She also noted that there are other state policy domains where legal expertise is needed. For example, the number of lawyers involved in drafting Colorado’s new oil and gas rules, passed in 2009, she said, was astounding.

She also impressed upon the law students the importance of regulatory regimes, such as Colorado State Amendment 37, passed in 2004, which caused utility companies to invest heavily in wind and solar power projects.

Ms. Proctor described a pair of ways in which the drive for renewable energy requires legal expertise. First, rules and regulations applied to “old energy” (e.g., natural gas and oil) are now being applied to the “renewable crew.” For example, siting windfarms on public lands has led the industry to anticipate potential impact on species important to the ecosystem and not yet on the endangered list; their goal in protecting these animals is to not add another species to the list. Second, she said, local owners don’t necessarily like solar panels or wind turbines today any more than they once liked oil rigs in the past—they represent change and naturally provoke a NIMBY (i.e., not in my back yard) response. Land use rules are key to siting these renewable technologies.

Lastly, Ms. Proctor offered advice about how companies in the news should respond to interest from the media. The typical journalist, she stressed, works on a deadline and is eager for information. An attorney answering a journalist’s call must be aware of and must establish clearly the ground rules guiding the conversation that follows: Are the comments “on-the-record,” for “background, or “off-the-record.” Once that is established, she urged the attorney not to deflect questions or refuse to answer them, rather to use the encounter to fashion the company’s response to the journalist’s inquiries about, for example, a lawsuit just filed against it.

Looking for Environmental and Energy Industry Insight? Check out "IndustryWatch" Offered by The Denver Business Journal

When it comes to searching for a first job or a new job, there is nothing that beats having a good sense of what is happening in the industry sector you are interested in.

One resource that may be of use is the IndustryWatch service provided by The Denver Business Journal. Here's how it works:

1. Go to the Denver Business Journal website at https://www.bizjournals.com/login/denver?r=%2Faccount%2Fdenver%2Fnewsletter and create a free account


2. After you have done this you will be taken to screen where you can sign up for various e-newsletters published by The Denver Business Journal, and the other 40 business journals around the country.


3. Depending on your interests, two IndustryWatch newsletters that you may want to subscribe to are Environment and/or Energy; by signing up for these e-newsletters you will receive on Monday mornings the latest news from around the U.S.

It may also be useful to look at the full-text of The Denver Business Journal. You can subscribe yourself or use the Westminster Law Library's subscription (although you have to access that while you are in the law building). Look for articles by Cathy Proctor, who covers energy-related issues for The Journal. Ms. Proctor follows the industry and has an excellent record of staying on top of the latest developments.

Don C. Smith
Director
Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program