August 22, 2023, IEEE (PI)² Technical Ethics Meeting: A Blueprint for Survival: Lessons Learned from Others’ Mistakes

Brian Gray, Texas Office of Land Management, Gas Permitting, spoke about errors and ethical problems in the multi-million dollar industry of oil and gas land leasing. From company representatives who try to wrangle a lease-renewal (after the expiration date) when they missed the renewal payment date (a multi-million dollar mistake), to hot-doggers who extend underground laterally off their lease into a neighboring property, he presented many examples where ethics were a critical factor in his technical work. His insights and knowledge of the laws that control the oil and gas industry were eye-opening for all, and could be extrapolated to any technical industry.

About the Speaker: 

Brian Gray is an oil and gas landman with ten years experience in private industry prior to working for the Texas General Land Office (GLO). He has since spent the last five years administering the State’s lands, leases, and minerals.  His job duties encompass a wide array of duties, including making revisions to the State’s leases and serving as the department’s legislative liaison, though his primary responsibilities involve identifying and notifying companies who are in breach of contractual obligations or have engaged in mineral trespass.  Historically, the two team members responsible for reviewing such actions at the GLO are referred to as “terminators.”