Former US Commerce secretary and energy executive Don Evans will be chairman of a partnership of oil and gas firms that have pledged $100 million toward easing the civic strain of the shale oil and gas boom in West Texas and New Mexico, the group said.
The Permian Strategic Partnership is a group of 19 top US energy companies that have organized to address stresses on health care, education, housing, and the workforce created by companies flocking to the Permian Basin, it announced in November.
The nation’s largest oil field is expected to pump 3.8 million BOPD in January, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
Evans, who started his career working on a rig for Tom Brown Inc and eventually became its chief executive officer, served as commerce secretary during the administration of former President George W. Bush. He is a longtime resident of Midland, Texas, where the organization will be based.
The last decade’s shale boom has led to school overcrowding, soaring traffic fatalities, drug abuse and strains on the power grid.
Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, Occidental Petroleum, Pioneer Natural Resources, and Royal Dutch Shell are among the members of the group.