Fourth annual Energy Expo Sept. 28

MEEKER I The fourth annual Energy Information Expo in Meeker will be held Wednesday, Sept. 28 at the Fairfield Center. This event is being held for informational purposes for the residents and businesses of Rio Blanco County. Come join the Meeker Chamber of Commerce as they co-sponsor this free public event to learn about what is happening in the oil and gas industry in our area and hear from John A. Harpole, a noted natural gas expert. There will be a lunch catered by Stagestop Deli from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., and the Meeker Lions Club will be providing dinner from 4 – 5:30 p.m. during this event, so bring your questions for oil and gas representatives and learn more about their presence in this area. John A. Harpole will be speaking at 12:15 p.m. and again at 5:15 p.m.Harpole is founder and president of Mercator Energy LLC, a natural gas services, brokerage and research company. Mercator currently assists end-users and producers in 12 western and midwestern states in selling and sourcing natural gas supplies. Mercator also conducts specific research projects for client groups exploring the impact of industry trends on various regional markets. Harpole is a frequent speaker on natural gas pricing, transportation issues and liquefied natural gas imports to such organizations as the Fertilizer Outlook and Technology Conference in Savannah, Georgia; CERI North American Natural Gas Conference in Calgary, Alberta; Platts Annual Rockies Gas & Oil Conference and the Wyoming Natural Gas Fair. Harpole is a board member of the Western Energy Alliance (formerly IPAMS), the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, Energy Outreach Colorado, the Leadership Program of the Rockies, Global Energy Management Program (GEM) and Regis Jesuit High School. He also currently serves as part of Congressman Coffman’s Energy Advisory Committee. Harpole is a former board member of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), a former regional governor of IPAA, a past chair of the Natural Gas Transportation and Markets Committee and served on Colorado’s Governor Owens’ ethics committee for eight years. In fall 2010, Harpole traveled to China to instruct employees of PetroChina on the regulatory and marketing history of natural gas in the United States. It marked the first time a foreigner was allowed to teach a course to PetroChina marketing employees.Harpole has provided testimony to the House Energy Resources Committee and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on natural gas issues and is qualified as an expert witness in a number of venues. His articles on natural gas issues have appeared in Hart’s Energy Markets, American Oil and Gas Reporter, Natural Gas Focus, The Rocky Mountain Landman, Oil and Gas Investor and the Denver Post. Harpole is the author of the Royalty-in-Kind to Low Income provisions in the Energy Act of 2005. In addition, Harpole obtained a business degree with an emphasis in mineral land management from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and in the late 1980s to early 1990s, Harpole was a natural gas buyer for GE industrial plants through the GE affiliate, LADD Gas Marketing.He and his wife, Lisa, currently serve on the general board for the Seeds of Hope Charitable Trust. The mission of the Seeds of Hope Charitable Trust is to make the tremendous benefits of Catholic education available to Denver’s children living in economically disadvantaged areas.If you would like more information on this event, please contact the Meeker Chamber of Commerce at 970-878-5510 or email [email protected].