Denver-based independent oil and gas association to close

by The Associated Press

Unable to recover from low worldwide oil prices, the Denver-based Rocky Mountain Oil & Gas Association said March 31 it will close its doors in June after almost 80 years in service.

The regional association, which saw its member numbers dwindle from a high of 755 to 250 in recent years, was once one of the premier industry groups in the West with representation in Alaska, Colorado, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, Utah and Idaho.

The organization’s mission was to do battle for its members on tax, environmental and other regulatory issues, but its influence was severely weakened when the bottom dropped out of the world oil markets in 1986.

President John Morrison said a recent supply glut that caused prices to drop from about $25 a barrel to as low as $12 proved too much for the organization.

As major oil companies like Texaco and Amoco moved to reduce their presence in the West, support for the association was further eroded, he said.

The group has divisions in all member states except Alaska. Several of those divisions, including Colorado’s, hope to continue operating if the state members can generate enough interest and cash to keep their doors open.