NEWS RELEASE

Office of External Communications

Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax: 713.743.8199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 6, 2006

Contact: Lisa Merkl
713.743.8192 (office)
713.605.1757 (pager)
lkmerkl@uh.edu

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Those interested in attending should RSVP to Lisa Merkl for a parking permit.

PETROLEUM INDUSTRY EXPERTS DESCRIBE STATUS, CHALLENGES FOR SEISMIC E&P
Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) Forum at UH First in Country

A forum on the status of and challenges for seismic exploration and production (E&P) will be presented from 1 to 5 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 10 at the University of Houston.

Petroleum industry experts will discuss these issues at a Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) event that will be the first in a series of six technical forums to define the program and direct funding to address issues relevant to the petroleum industry. About 100 participants are expected. Among other universities hosting RPSEA forums are MIT and Stanford.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded RPSEA the management of a 10-year, $50-million-per-year federal research program for the purpose of funding R&D efforts that address challenges to locating and producing hydrocarbons in deep and ultra-deep marine and onshore environments. The forums are designed to determine current capability and challenges. UH has been invited to hold the first of these forums – the RPSEA Seismic E&P Forum.

The Seismic E&P Forum at UH will allow the RPSEA management team to describe the RPSEA/DOE objective, plan and schedule, as well as provide industry seismic experts with an outlet to define current capabilities and obstacles to effectiveness. The forum also will offer a communication opportunity for seismic experts and stakeholders from universities, government labs and industry. Input will be incorporated into the RPSEA program.

“The purpose of the RPSEA program is to address pressing challenges in the exploration and production of hydrocarbons,” said Arthur B. Weglein, Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Professor of Physics at UH. “The first critical step in designing a research program is to determine what the actual prioritized challenges are. Those are best understood and defined by those with a vested interest in effectiveness, such as individuals in the petroleum industry. The invited speakers at the UH-hosted forum are all seismic industry experts.”

Following an overview by RPSEA President Mike Ming, industry leaders Jacques Leveille of Hess and John Etgen and Uwe Albertin of BP will describe off-shore seismic issues, while Douglas Foster of ConocoPhillips and Bill Dragoset of Western Geco will turn their focus to on-shore.

UH is a board and executive board member of RPSEA, a non-profit national consortium with 84 members, including 19 of the nation’s premier research institutions, five national laboratories, other major research institutions, large and small energy producers and energy consumers with activities in 21 states. Weglein is serving as the UH representative on the RPSEA board and executive board.

WHO: Petroleum Industry Experts from BP, Hess, ConocoPhillips and Western Geco
WHAT: RPSEA Seismic E&P Forum
WHEN: 1 to 5 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 10
WHERE: University of Houston
Houston Science Center, Room 102
Entrance 15D off Cullen Boulevard

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.