MONDAY, JUNE 13
Location: The Northern Hotel, 19 North Broadway, Billings, MT
03:00 PM – Exxon Facility Tour
05:00 PM – Dinner
Dinner will be provided by MAOGCC at The Nothern Hotel in the Babcock Room
06:00 PM – Michael Freeman, Natural Resource Policy Advisor
Michael Freeman joined the Gianforte Administration from the Department of the Interior, where he was appointed to serve as Acting Deputy Solicitor for Water Resources and before that, as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Environmental Management. In addition to a short stint in the private sector, he spent nearly seven years on Capitol Hill advising members of Congress on energy, environmental, and natural resource policy issues. He began his career as an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. He is a native of Butte, MT.
TUESDAY, JUNE 14 (TIMES TENTATIVE)
Location: The Northern Hotel, 19 North Broadway, Billings, MT
07:00 AM – Breakfast on your own
08:00 AM – Meeting Call to Order
Roll Call
Introductions
08:05 AM – Consent Items
Agenda
Review of Previous Meeting Minutes
08:15 AM – Financial Items
Dues report
Financial statements
08:30 AM – Action Items
Bylaw changes
Board Member Elections
Future Meeting Locations
08:45 AM – Discussion Items
Chairman’s Update: Commissioner Richard Dunbar
Executive Director Update: Shelby DeMars
09:00 AM – PRESENTATIONS BEGIN
09:00 AM – Ben Jones—Petroleum Engineer, Montana Board of Oil & Gas
Ben Jones, a petroleum engineer for nearly 15 years, brings experience from both the private and public sectors and currently serves as the petroleum engineer and technical advisor for the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation (MBOGC), which administers the Montana oil and gas conservation laws; promotes conservation and prevents waste in the recovery of resources; and regulates oil and gas exploration and production. Ben will be providing an annual update form the Board of Oil & Gas on production over the past year.
09:15 AM – Chris Puyear—NorthWestern Energy
Chris Puyear serves as a Government Affairs Specialist for NorthWestern energy where he advocates for policies to secure affordable, sustainable power for NorthWestern’s 340,000 customers. Chris will be presenting an update on NWE’s newest projects and the impact of recent court rulings.
09:30 AM – Chris Bakker—CEO, Avanti Energy
Chris will be presenting on Avanti Energy, their helium development efforts in Montana and elsewhere, as well as the “how” and “why” behind helium development.
10:30 AM – Jon P. Heroux—Corporate Counsel, External Affairs for Westmoreland Mining, LLC
Jon will be joining the conference to provide an update on the regulatory environment and permitting updates with Westmoreland.
11:00 AM – Terry Johnson—Economist, Statistician, Former Montana Legislature Financial Analyst
Terry Johnson served the state of Montana for almost 40 years as an economist, statistician, and most recently as principal financial analyst for the Montana Legislature. Johnson earned a B.S. in mathematics from Montana State University and developed expertise in economic analysis and government finance. In July 2004 he became the first Montanan to receive a national award from the National Council of State Legislatures in recognition of his achievements in revenue forecasting, state fiscal and tax policy analysis. Terry will be presenting a program he has designed to assess the impact that potential legislative tax changes can have on local governments.
11:30 AM – Darryl James—Montana Infrastructure Coalition
Darryl James is the Executive Director of the Montana Infrastructure Coalition, or MIC, which is comprised of volunteer members representing over 100 industry, labor, and trade associations, local governments and business entities. The purpose of the Coalition is to provide reliable information to state and local decision-makers and their constituents regarding the need for infrastructure investment, and to explore economically and politically sustainable methods of funding critical infrastructure in the future.
12:00 PM – Adjourn