ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Members of the province’s Oil and Gas Industry Recovery Task Force, as well as that body’s terms of reference, were revealed today by Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey.
And the 21-person body has been told there is no time to waste.
The task force was developed out of the recent announcement of $320 million in federal funding targeted for an N.L. oil sector that’s been lashed by the double-braided whip of low world prices and the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the time the funding was announced, federal Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan said Ottawa wanted the money used to help support workers and reduce carbon emissions at offshore projects. However, Furey said there were really few strings attached, and that how the money was to be targeted would be largely determined by the task force.
In announcing the group's makeup, Furey said what is an urgent situation means it will have to quickly come up with ideas for immediate implementation.
As such, it has been called on to submit recommendations for eligibility parameters and prioritization criteria for provincial delivery of the support funding within 30 days, and to submit recommendations for immediate actions to the provincial Oil and Gas Industry Development Council within 90 days.
As for the task force’s objectives, a news release that accompanied Thursday’s announcement said they would include:
• Recommendations for key immediate actions required by government and/or industry to help stabilize and grow the Newfoundland and Labrador oil and gas sector;
• Identification of timelines and key accountabilities for recommended actions;
• Collaboration with key government and industry stakeholders to identify the necessary actions to drive the recovery of the Newfoundland and Labrador oil and gas sector; and,
• Recommendations for eligibility parameters and prioritization criteria for provincial delivery of oil and gas sector support funding.
The task force members, who will be working on a volunteer basis, were selected through nominations from the Oil and Gas Industry Development Council, the Newfoundland and Labrador Oil and Gas Industries Association (Noia), the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, labour, the Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association and the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Technology and Innovation.
The task force is structured under four main work streams: policy and regulation; exploration and development; energy transition; supply chain.
Two members of the Oil and Gas Industry Development Council, Bill Fanning and Karen Winsor, are co-chairs.
Task Force members
Co-chairs
- Karen Winsor — chairs the Noia board of directors, Atlantic XL CEO
- Bill Fanning — president Kvaerner Canada, former member of the Noia board of directors
Policy and Regulatory Workstream
- Elmer Danenberger — consultant, former chief of offshore regulatory programs, U.S Department of the Interior
- Matthew Deveau — ExxonMobil Canada vice president
- Darin King — executive director of Trades NL, former provincial cabinet minister
- Max Ruelokke — former chairman/CEO of the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board, former president Marystown Shipyard Limited, deputy minister of the Department of Industry, Trade and Technology, presently an independent consultant
- Todd Stanley — partner in St. John’s law office of Cox & Palmer
Exploration and Development Workstream
- Capt. Kristopher Drodge — most recently the offshore installation manager for the Transocean Barents, Henry Goodrich and GSF Grand Banks, chair of Atlantic Canada Offshore Petroleum Training and Qualifications Committee
- Jason Muise — Technip (project management consultants), former member of the Noia board of directors
- David Ralph — operations manager for Equinor's offshore Newfoundland and Labrador operations
- Mark Williams — formerly Terra Nova's manager of marine operations, has also contributed to the Hibernia and Hebron developments
Energy Transition Workstream
- Steve Emberley — manager of subsurface, Oil and Gas Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador (formerly Nalcor Oil and Gas)
- Caron Hawco — communications specialist and former Noia chair
- Lesley James — associate professor and former Chevron chair in petroleum engineering in the Department of Process Engineering at Memorial University
- Todd Mercer — senior developments engineer currently engaged in Husky Energy's greenhouse gas reduction opportunities.
- Tim O’Leary — former president of Wood Group PSN Canada
Supply Chain Workstream
- Carolyn Barnes — ExxonMobil Canada procurement manager
- Geoff Cunningham — vice president (operations) for A. Harvey, former chair of the Noia board of directors
- Jennifer Haley — supply chain manager for Aker Solutions Canada and member of the Noia board of directors
- John Henley — vice president of project services with the Cahill Group, former chair of Noia.
- Dave Mercerr — president of UNIFOR Local 2121 representing over 700 workers in the province’s oil and offshore industry
For the complete release, including biographies of the task force members, go here
