2025 Agenda

• How are shifting federal priorities affecting drilling and infrastructure approvals and how can Permian operators and investors adapt? 
• In what ways is the evolving regulatory landscape shaping produced water disposal, reuse, and cross-border transfers between Texas and New Mexico?
• What are the most critical regulatory bottlenecks where BLM and state agencies overlap and what targeted improvements in federal-state coordination could streamline permitting and compliance?
• As climate targets and energy security goals converge, how are federal agencies approaching emissions, seismicity, and rising power demand from industrial growth and data centers?

• How are energy leaders navigating regulatory divergence between Texas and New Mexico, and where do you see the most impactful opportunities for collaboration with state and federal regulators?
• What strategies are operators deploying to manage increasing uncertainty around federal regulation, agency staffing, and shifting executive actions and how is this influencing long-term planning?
• With Tier 1 wells becoming scarcer and produced water volumes rising, how are producers adapting operationally to more complex Tier 2 and 3 development, seismicity risks, and evolving disposal regulations?
• As data centers and industrial users drive significant load growth in the Permian, what are the key barriers to scaling electricity generation and transmission and how are producers evaluating opportunities to co-locate, self-generate, or diversify into power provision?
• How are Permian producers responding to changing economic conditions potentially impacting Permian such as international trade tariffs, emissions standards, and investor expectations to ensure long-term competitiveness in a tightening global market?

Hosted by:

Working Group – Managing produced water in the Permian: Moving from barriers to solutions

Moderator: Michael Grossman, Chair, Technical Committee, Produced Water Society

Enforcement in practice: Navigating environmental compliance and energy development in New Mexico’s Permian Basin

Moderator: Bruce Baizel, Division Director, Compliance and Enforcement, New Mexico Environment Department

New waste management standards in the Permian: Reducing land and water risks while building community trust

Moderator: Carolina Ortega, Vice President, Sustainability & Communications, Milestone

Methane abatement and market mechanisms: Challenges, opportunities, and what’s next for the Permian

Moderator: Elena Nikolova, Manager, Climate Intelligence, RMI

Hosted by:

• How are policy shifts around drilling setbacks, severance taxes, and permitting shaping investment flows and rig activity?
• With seismicity driving reinjection limits and shallow injection mandates, how are operators and regulators working to avoid trading one risk for another, especially as shallow formations near drinking water zones and orphan wells?
• With each state taking a different stance on emissions reporting, methane enforcement, and measurement protocols (OGMP, MIQ, etc.), how are producers navigating compliance?
• How can regulators better support smaller operators and service providers, many of whom are sidelined by MSA barriers, permitting complexity, and shifting tax or setback policies?
• How can Texas and New Mexico move toward shared frameworks on produced water reuse, emissions enforcement, and setbacks as cross-border pipelines and reuse projects grow in scale?

• How are rapid industrial development, population growth, and the rise of energy-intensive sectors placing new pressure on the Permian’s existing infrastructure?
• In what ways are constraints across pipeline takeaway, power transmission, and water systems creating compounding infrastructure challenges—and what types of buildout are most urgently needed?
• How are takeaway bottlenecks driving increased flaring and gas price volatility? Can stranded gas be better leveraged for local power generation or on-site use to ease system pressure?
• What are the primary roadblocks to expanding transmission and pipeline infrastructure and how are leaders and regulators responding with permitting strategies, investments, and cross-sector coordination?
• How can electricity, gas, and water infrastructure planning be more effectively aligned to meet advanced industrial load growth, support emissions goals, and enhance overall system resilience?

• How is consolidation limiting smaller operators’ access to midstream infrastructure, capital and service contracts, as MSAs and financing increasingly favor larger players with scale and lower risk profiles? 
• What approaches or innovations are they adopting to meet emissions rules effectively with limited resources?
• How are disposal restrictions, seismicity risks, cross-border policy differences, and rising water costs changing the economics for non-major E&Ps?
• What does meaningful local reinvestment look like for independents, and how are they working with landowners and communities to drive shared value through water reuse, biodiversity, and land stewardship?
• How can they stay competitive amid regulatory scrutiny, limited capital access, and rising costs tied to water handling, electrification, and reporting? Are there opportunities for collaboration with majors to offset those barriers?

Hosted by:

• M&A outlook and key drivers across E&Ps, midstream, and services: How are investors weighing asset quality, long-term inventory, and regulatory risk? Will the momentum continue? 
• From royalties and mineral portfolios to water management, infrastructure, and EPC-backed turnkey solutions: Which sectors within the Permian are attracting the most attention? 
• As data centers and industrial projects look to West Texas, how are land ownership, natural gas access, water reuse, and transmission infrastructure shaping capital allocation?
• How are legislative proposals such as severance tax hikes, methane intensity thresholds, and new water disposal fees reshaping how capital is being allocated across Texas and New Mexico assets?

• How are global energy market dynamics, LP expectations, and shifting geopolitical priorities influencing long-term investment strategies in the energy sector in the Permian and beyond?

How technology and innovation are helping industry outpace regulatory uncertainty

Moderator: Coy Connelly, Head of Legal, bpx energy

Powering the Permian: Strategies to meet growing load and grid challenges

Moderator: Ryan Murphy, Facilities Engineering Manager, Diamondback Energy

Navigating new water legislation in Texas: Regulatory impacts and operational implications for energy companies

Moderator: Robert Sadlier, Deputy Director, Water Quality Division, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)

Hosted by:

• What’s preventing broader adoption of produced water reuse in the Permian and what’s needed to scale pilot projects into commercial solutions?
• As shallow injection mandates take effect and seismicity risks rise, how are operators reevaluating the long-term cost, capacity, and liability of disposal infrastructure?  Can treatment and reuse become competitive?
• What can Texas and New Mexico learn from each other? Is there a path toward aligning cross-border reuse, discharge standards, and economic incentives?
• How can regulators create consistent permitting frameworks, support innovation, and embed transparency and local engagement into water policy?
• What standards and permitting pathways are needed to enable safe discharge or reuse of treated produced water for agriculture, data center cooling, or municipal use? And what breakthroughs are needed to reduce costs, de-risk liability, and attract long-term capital?

• How are producers and midstream companies addressing takeaway constraints, flaring limits, and stranded gas economics—and what infrastructure investments are most urgent?
• In what ways is rising global LNG demand influencing Permian gas development strategies, pricing dynamics, and emissions performance requirements?
• What role is responsibly sourced gas playing in differentiating Permian supply, and how are producers approaching certification, monitoring, and market access?
• As differentiated gas becomes more important to LNG buyers, how are operators aligning measurement protocols (OGMP 2.0, MIQ) with real-time field data and what are the emerging models for monetizing certified gas?
• Where does Permian gas fit in the global low-carbon supply mix, and what will determine its competitiveness in a decarbonizing, LNG-driven world?

• How are producers deploying advanced technologies from continuous methane monitoring to satellite tracking and AI-based emissions analytics to improve operational performance and reporting?
• What are the key technical, regulatory, and cost-related barriers to adopting continuous methane monitoring and how can operators push for acceptance of these technologies under OGMP 2.0 or IRA-based credits?
• How are operators leveraging responsibly sourced gas certifications and performance transparency to differentiate Permian supply in a competitive global LNG market?
• What’s needed from regulators, buyers, and technology providers to create a credible, scalable framework for emissions accountability and operational excellence?
• Can technology innovation also drive cost savings, safety improvements, and community trust?