Western Energy Alliance

The Western Energy Alliance is a Denver, Colorado-based oil and gas drilling trade and lobbying group funded by 400 independent natural gas and oil producers, service and supply companies, banking and financial institutions and industry consultants. The group's website promises that it will "actively influence regulatory actions and legislation on behalf of your business." Membership fees range from $1,000 to $50,000.

Anti-government/anti-regulation PR
In July, 2011 Western Energy Alliance promoted a report titled "Blueprint for Western Energy Prosperity" that concluded that by 2020, the western part of the United States could produce more energy from oil and natural gas than the U.S. imports from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Venezuela and a host of other major foreign producers, but added this is only possible if the government reduces the amount of regulation on the industry. David Ludlam of Colorado's Western Slope Oil and Gas Association, commenting on the report, said “Energy producers on Colorado’s West Slope have grave concerns that burdensome federal regulations will actually prevent these predictions from coming to fruition.” Neither Ludlam nor the Western Energy Alliance mentioned any of the environmental and health problems caused by drilling.

Board of Directors

 * Tom Sheffield, Pioneer Natural Resources
 * Peter Dea, Cirque Resources LP
 * Brad Miller, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation
 * Rebecca Watson, Welborn Sullivan Meck & Tooley, P.C.
 * Phil Doty, Ehrhardt Keefe Steiner & Hottman PC
 * Jim Schroeder, Mesa Energy Partners
 * Marc Smith, Western Energy Alliance
 * Eric Dille, EOG Resources
 * Jeff Lang, Samuel Gary Jr. & Associates
 * Lexi Tune, Deloitte
 * Dave Banko, Banko Petroleum Management
 * Porter Bennett, BENTEK Energy LLC
 * Ted Brown, Noble Energy Inc
 * Don DeCarlo, Devon 	Vice President
 * Jack Ekstrom, Whiting Petroleum Corporation
 * Chuck Farmer, Saga Petroleum
 * Rich Frommer, Samson Resources
 * John Harpole, Mercator Energy, LLC
 * Shane Henry, Williams Energy
 * Daryll Howard, Newfield Exploration Company
 * Bill Lancaster, GMT Exploration Company LLC
 * Don Law, Prima Exploration, Inc.
 * Don McClure, EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc.
 * Jay Neese, QEP Resources, Inc.
 * Jay Ottoson, SM Energy
 * Bobby Plowman, Halliburton Energy Services
 * Greg Ruben, El Paso Western Pipelines
 * George Solich, Cordillera Energy Partners III, LLC
 * Duane Zavadi, Bill Barrett Corporation

Sourcewatch resources

 * Anne Landman The Ubiquitous "Too Much Big Government" Theme, PRWatch.org, October 26, 2010

Contact
Western Energy Alliance 410 17th Street, Suite 700 Denver, CO 80202 P: 303.623.0987 F: 303.893.0790