Oil Patch Bits: Speakers highlighted for local AAPG-SPE conference

The Western Region, Society of Petroleum Engineers, and the Pacific Section, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, have announced key speakers for the joint convention being held in Anchorage, Alaska, from May 7-11, 2011, at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel.

Opening ceremony speakers on May 8 will include Kevin Banks, director of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Oil and Gas since 2007; Janet L. Weiss, subsurface vice president for BP Alaska, appointed in October 2010; David G. Rensink, president of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and past president of AIPG, Texas Section, Houston Geological Society; and keynote speaker, Fran Ulmer, chancellor, University of Alaska Anchorage. In addition to serving as UAA’s Chancellor, Ulmer was appointed by President Barack Obama in June 2010 to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling and will be discussing what implications the spill had on Alaska.

E. Lance Cole, operations manager, Petroleum Technology Transfer Council since 1996 will be speaking at the SPE Awards lunch on May 10th.

The conference will highlight technologies and issues affecting oil and gas fields in the Western North American Region.