Legislative appropriation stems brain drain at Division of Oil and Gas

Steve Sutherlin

PNA Managing Editor

An incremental budget request by the state Division of Oil and Gas has cleared committees in the House and Senate and has been added to the budgets of both bodies, said Mark Myers, director of the division.

The extra funds will allow the division to increase the salaries of key professionals such as geologists, engineers, landmen, geophysicists and petroleum economists, to prevent loss of essential talent to more lucrative opportunities in the private sector. The division will raise salaries to a level of parity with similar job descriptions at the federal Minerals Management Service, Myers said.

Federal salaries are 30 percent to 35 percent above those in the division; private industry salaries are higher still, Myers said.

“The raise just kept one person from leaving today,” Myers told PNA on April 18, adding that the increase hasn’t kicked in yet, but the promise was enough to keep the key employee on board.

The division’s average specialist has 20 years experience, seven years in petroleum, with government and Alaska experience, making them difficult to replace, Myers said. He said the division has no training program so it typically has to recruit from private industry to find individuals with current experience in the latest technology.

Upgrade of 3-D seismic analysis

The funds will be used to acquire data, purchase improved interpretation software, purchase increased disc storage and train division personnel in 3-D seismic analysis.

Myers said his long-term goal is to obtain funding to recruit several new 3-D seismic experts to the division but for now the program will use existing staff.

Myers said he was thankful that the administration, members of the Senate Resource Committee other members of the Legislature understood the division’s critical need for funds and worked diligently to advance the budget request.