Oil Groups Look at Texas Reopening Pause

Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s announcement of a temporary pause of additional reopening phases serves as a good reminder that business can continue, yet it is essential appropriate precautions are taken.

That’s according to Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA), who made the comment in a statement sent to Rigzone.

“Adhering to sound medical guidelines regarding social distancing and hygiene recommendations will enable the economy to rebound securely and return people to their jobs,” Staples added.

Staples went on to say that the oil and natural gas industry in Texas “continues to provide the necessary products and energy that fuels Texas and beyond”. He also noted that the oil and natural gas sector is “back on the right path” but highlighted that domestic and global demand returning to “normal levels” will be “essential” for continued recovery.

Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO) President Ed Longanecker said the health and safety of Texas citizens is “clearly paramount” but added that the recovery of the industry is dependent on the global economy “retuning to some level of normalcy”.

“Governor Abbott has the best interests of all Texans in mind as he addresses this challenging issue, including the hundreds of thousands of men and women employed by the industry in our state,” Longanecker said in a statement sent to Rigzone.

In the statement, Longanecker also noted that demand destruction from the pandemic has had a “tremendously negative impact” on domestic oil and natural gas producers.

Abbott announced Thursday that Texas will pause any further phases to open the state as it responds to a recent increase in positive Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations. Businesses that are permitted to open under the previous phases can continue to operate, Abbott confirmed.

“As we experience an increase in both positive Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations, we are focused on strategies that slow the spread of this virus while also allowing Texans to continue earning a paycheck to support their families,” Abbott said in a government statement.

“The last thing we want to do as a state is go backwards and close down businesses. This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business,” he added.

“I ask all Texans to do their part to slow the spread of Covid-19 by wearing a mask, washing their hands regularly, and socially distancing from others. The more that we all follow these guidelines, the safer our state will be and the more we can open up Texas for business,” Abbott continued.

Daily new Covid-19 cases in Texas hit over 5,000 (5,489) for the first time on June 23, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The figure rose on June 24 (5,551) and June 25 (5,996), which is the latest day available in the department’s dataset. Daily new deaths almost doubled from June 23 (28) to June 25 (47), the department’s figures show.

As of June 25, there have been 131,917 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Texas, with 2,296 deaths, according to the department.

To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com