The Conference
The Inter-American Hydrocarbons Regulators Dialogue Conference aims to meet every two years, with the participation of government officials, oil and gas executives, and academics, in a major program that studies the most relevant topics in the hydrocarbon industry.
The First Inter-American Hydrocarbons Regulators Dialogue 2016 Conference Program
The First Hydrocarbons Regulators Dialogue which took place October 7, of 2016, confirmed that the exchange between these three sectors help develop different ways to approach problems by listening to different perspectives and solutions from each actor of the oil and gas sector. It also helped identify issues that could not rise without an environment of communication and recognition of the interdependency between the industry actors.
The first conference included regulators such as Director José Gutman, from the Brazilian Petroleum Agency (ANP); Commissioner Sergio Pimentel and Commissioner Guillermo Zuñiga from the Mexican National Commission of Hydrocarbons (CNH), and the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE), respectively; and Chairman David Porter from the Railroad Commission of Texas (Texas RRC).
The program also included scholars from the legal academia, including Professor Ana Gutierrez from the Externado University (Colombia); Dean Oscar Lugo, from the Autonomous University of Nuevo León (Mexico); Dr. Eduardo Pereira from the University of Eastern Finland (Finland); and Professor Julian Cardenas from the University of Houston (USA). A group of industry experts also participated in the discussions, including Ricardo Colmenter from Entra Consulting (USA); Juanita De la Hoz Herrera, Legal Counsel of ECOPETROL (Colombian NOC); Raymundo Piñones, Director of the Asociación Mexicana de Empresas de Hidrocarburos (Mexico); Eng. Angel Curet, Oil and Gas Legal Consultant (USA); Felipe Alice, Partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius (USA); and Steve Otillar, Partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, and President of the AIPN (USA).
U.S.A. Panel led by Chairman David Porter from the Railroad Commission of Texas |
Mexican Panel led by Commissioner Sergio Pimentel from the Mexican National Commission of Hydrocarbons |
 Brazilian Panel led by Director Jose Gutman from the Brazilian Petroleum Agency (ANP) |
 Colombian Panel led by Dr. Juanita de la Hoz, Legal Counsel for Social Issues from ECOPETROL |
In this opportunity, the keynote presentation will be delivered by Professor Jacqueline L. Weaver, who presented her publications on the Role of the Regulator in the oil and gas industry.
Article "The Role of the Regulator" by Prof. Jacqueline Weaver
Through the First Inter-American Hydrocarbon Regulators Dialogue, the EENR Center of the University of Houston sought to promote a dynamic exchange between government entities, academic institutions and oil and gas industry players from the private sector in order to create a fruitful communication between them in the energy capital of the world. Also, the conference sought to expand the knowledge of crucial, substantive aspects of oil and gas law, international law, and environmental regulation.
We strongly believe that the role of hydrocarbon regulators is today more important than ever when prices in the oil and gas market have decreased to new levels, demanding more efficiency from State entities. This situation increases the need for private investments in oil and gas exporting countries and requires government policies adapted to the new challenges in the global energy markets of the 21st Century. We further believe that the world energy-mix is becoming increasingly relevant in the analysis of energy market transition, and the current socio-environmental debates that are occurring globally are simply accelerating this trend.
Therefore, the EENR Center conceives the Regulators Dialogue as an ongoing project that will focus on the transfer of legal, technical, and policy expertise to the improvement of energy activities in the western hemisphere. The forum will be enriched by the participation of government officials, leading academics and practitioners to uniquely address relevant issues in the oil and gas sector. Our location in Houston is strategically positioned to foster a close relationships with the energy industry, and to deliver important public policy and scholarly focus to hydrocarbon regulation.
The dialogue proved the need to improve production efficiency, investment regulation, and the importance of environmental and social issues in the hydrocarbons sector.
The Second Inter-American Hydrocarbons Regulators Dialogue Conference is organized in collaboration with the Subsea System Institute at the University of Houston. The purpose of the conference is to discuss the "New Technology and Regulatory Challenges for Offshore Oil and Gas Regulation" given the growing number of offshore activity in the hydrocarbons sector in the region. The event aims to provide an opportunity for exchanges among regulators, companies, and universities around the new challenges and concerns created by the implementation of new offshore technology that requires the agreement of players and regulators for its implementation. The conference will be held at the Hilton Hotel, at the University of Houston, Thursday, April 26, 2018 from 8:00 am to 5:00pm. More information: law.uh.edu/eenrcenter
