"Drivers like this downward
trend"
Kimberly Durrnan - Dallas Morning News
-September 13, 2006
The price at the gas pump
in Dallas has dropped for four consecutive weeks, thanks to a mild hurricane
season, fewer supply disruptions and good old supply and demand.
“You are done with prime driving season and
inventories are a little higher than the normal levels, and you basically
have to get rid of the gasoline to make room for heating oil for the winter
season,” said Allen Mesch, president of PetroStrategies, a
Plano
consulting firm.
Mr. Mesch noted that consumers also are benefiting
as the price of a barrel of oil goes down. For every dollar decline, he
said, the price at the pump drops 2½ cents.
The price for a barrel of oil was $63.88 as of
Monday, down from a record $78.40 in mid-July.
Last year, Hurricane Katrina knocked out oil
production platforms, refineries and power for pipelines, resulting in a cut
to supplies.
Mr. Mesch said he could not predict where gas prices
might bottom out. Hurricanes in the
Gulf of Mexico or unrest in the
Middle East could halt the downward trend, he said.
“We might see another 10-cent drop, but it’s hard to
say at this point,” Mr. Mesch said. “If the situation stays the same without
any major disruption, we will see most of the decreases through the end of
September.”
In
Texas, the average is price is $2.57 per gallon, compared with
$2.96 a year ago. Corpus Christi
residents are paying $2.39; at the other end of the spectrum, drivers in El
Paso are being charged $2.74, according to AAA Texas.
"Pain
at Pump Returns"
Elizabeth Souder - Dallas Morning News - March 17, 2006
"The summer's going to be -
without question - very bad ," said Allen Mesch, president of PetroStrategies
Inc. He expects gasoline to cost $3 a gallon or more this summer."
"Customers Hot Over Heating Bills"
Sudeep Reddy - Dallas Morning News -
January 19, 2006
"We're probably over the worst with
the exception of some incredible cold weather in the mid-continent," said Allen
Mesch, president of PetroStrategies Inc., a consulting firm.
"that means your energy bills are
still going to be higher than what they were relative to a year ago, but not as
dramatic as we thought they might be," Mr. Mesch said.
"The Cheney Factor
How the scars of public life shaped the vice president's unyielding view of
executive power"
Kenneth T. Walsh - U.S. News and
World Report - January 23, 2006
"There's a fair amount of secrecy in
the business, just to keep competitors from getting an edge on you," says Allen
Mesch, an energy consultant in Texas. "But that kind of thing can be a style
thing with him--the closed-door meeting. And the higher up you go in a company,
the more paranoid you become about real and perceived threats."
"Cheney was not directly involved in the day-to-day
operations of the company," adds Mesch, who is president of PetroStrategies Inc.
"He was not a chief strategist, which is often played by someone in his
position. His role was more of a door opener, leveraging his variety of
international contacts. But that shouldn't be counted as a negative."
"Gas Bills Going Up 60-90%"
Elizabeth Souder - Dallas
Morning News - October 6, 2005
"I really think consumers have to be
prepared for some sticker shock as far as their home heating bills are
concerned," said Allen Mesch, president of PetroStrategies, Inc. in Dallas.
He predicts natural gas bills will be about 81 percent higher this year than
last.
"Conservation - Then and Now - Are
We Doing Enough"
Allen Mesch - VP Magazine - July 2005
"Crude Awakening"
Rick Stouffer - Pittsburgh
Tribune Review - August 13, 2005
"I
don't see any relief right now," said Allen Mesch, president of the Plano,
Texas, consulting firm PetroStrategies Inc.
"The
market right now is very jittery, has been for about a year," Mesch said. "It's
looking for bad news and when it gets some, it reacts negatively. Anything bad
-- such as a heightened terror alert, or the death of a (country's) leader -- is
cause for prices to climb."
"Gas Prices May Keep Your Wallet
Running on Empty"
Dianne Solis - The Dallas Morning
News - August 21, 2004
"Local prices shouldn't move
appreciably downward, and after Labor Day, beware," said Allen Mesch, president
of PetroStrategies, Inc. in Plano.
"This is very much an emotional
market that has to do with people's concerns about terrorism."
"Opportunity Gushes"
Marianne Lavelle - U.S. News & World Report - March 8, 2004
"It's (the oil and gas industry)
viewed as kind of a smokestack industry," says Allen Mesch, president of
consulting firm PetroStrategies in Plano, Texas. Last year, Mesch's firm
produced a report, "Petrotechnicals: The Real Scarce Resource," showing that
enrollment in petroleum engineering programs, now averaging 1,500 students is
down 85 percent from its peak in 1982.
"OPEC to Study Mixed
Signals"
Sudeep Reddy - The Dallas Morning News - February 7, 2004
But once summer hits, "you're
really going to start hearing a lot of screams by consumers," he said.
"How that will translate to action in a Bush administration is anybody's guess.
It'll probably be behind-the-scenes lobbying with OPEC."
"Drivers in for a Chill"
Sudeep Reddy - The Dallas Morning News - February 3, 2004
"I don't think things are going
to necessarily get better," said Allen Mesch, president of PetroStrategies,
Inc., a consulting firm. "The summer could be really, really bad - $3 [per
gallon] certainly on the West coast, and I think we'll see $2 here" in Texas.
"San
Antonio Firm Runs Gas Pipeline to Border"
Elizabeth Allen - San Antonio Express -
News - October 28,
2003
Another plus for more pipeline
infrastructure going into Mexico is that someday that gas will probably be
flowing in the other direction, said Allen Mesch, CEO of Dallas-based
PetroStrategies.
"When we look at natural gas around
the world, the issue is not is the gas there," Mesch said. "The issue is, how
are we going to get it to market?"
"Pump Prices Climb"
Sudeep Reddy - The Dallas Morning News - July 19, 2003
"The
sabotage and other disruptions are delaying what was expected to be a fast-track
of recovery to reasonable production levels," said Allen Mesch, president of PetroStrategies
Inc.
"I
don't see anything to suggest that all the problems are over with Venezuela or
Nigeria or Iraq," Mr. Mesch said.
"Oil Prices Are Likely to Decline"
San Antonio Express -
News - May 10,
2003
Allen Mesch, CEO of Dallas-based
consultant PetroStrategies, keeps an eye on worldwide crude oil developments. He
believes, 30 years after the first energy crisis, that the United States still
hasn't adequately addressed its energy needs. Q. Now that the war in Iraq is
over, are we still in danger of having oil price spikes? A. That's unlikely,
even if the U.S. decides to do something in Syria. I called the oil part of the
war over pretty early in the game.
"Prices at
pump fall despite war"
The Wichita Eagle - March 21,
2003
"Every
bit of news is going to get the market moving one way or another," said
Allen Mesch, president of PetroStrategies Inc., a Plano-based consulting firm.
"Oil
Prices Spurt, Then Fall Back"
Sudeep Reddy - The Dallas Morning News - March 21, 2003
"Every
bit of news is going to get the market moving one way or another," said
Allen Mesch, president of PetroStrategies Inc., a Plano-based consulting firm.
"Until
reservoirs are destroyed and irreparably damaged, we're dealing with
speculation, we're dealing with uncertainties, and we're dealing with people
reacting on the basis of very little information," Mr. Mesch said.
"Gasoline
Prices Hit a Record"
Sudeep Reddy - The Dallas Morning News - March 18, 2003
"I
really just think it's a desperate search for some good news," said Allen
Mesch, president of PetroStrategies Inc. "When you see oil prices go
down, the assumption is it's going to be a contained conflict."
"Crude
Creeps Higher"
Sudeep Reddy - The Dallas Morning News - February 8, 2003
"Everybody
is playing a guessing game," said Allen Mesch,
president of PetroStrategies, Inc. in Plano.
"A
lot of people were saying a month ago that these prices were too high, even with
psychological factors," he said. "I think it's more than likely
that we will see a continued increase in prices."
"The
economy is going to continue to decline because an input to the economy has gone
up too much," Mr. Mesch said. "Consumers are really going to be
screaming. Two-dollar gasoline is certainly in the realm of
possibility."
"Experts
Fear Oil Shortfall"
Sudeep Reddy - The Dallas Morning News - January 16, 2003
"It's
probably a lot more dangerous than these numbers reveal," said Allen Mesch,
president of PetroStrategies, Inc. in Plano. "That's hidden in just
looking at that one number."
"Oil and
Terror"
Williams Energy News Live - September 25, 2001
Allen
Mesch was interviewed on Williams Energy
News Live about the connection between oil and terrorism. Mr. Mesch
indicated that revenues from Middle East oil exports have been used to support
terrorist activities. He cited the case of Osama bin Laden, who inherited
$300 million from his billionaire Saudi family. This wealth was obtained
from the construction business and the money to pay for these projects was from
oil exports. Mr. Mesch indicated that Middle Eastern producers obtained
$167 billion in 2000 and said that if 1% went to terrorists that would provide
$1.6 billion to support their activities. He also indicated that a number
of oil companies were conducting business with countries that support
terrorism.
"Oil and
Gas Industry Continues to Grapple with Technical Personnel
Shortages"
Steven Poruban - Oil & Gas Journal - September 24, 2001
PetroStrategies
provided data and commentary for this article on personnel shortages.
"There are always going to be people who will go into the industry because
they find it fascinating, interesting, and an exciting place to work,"
Mesch said. "But to suggest that we're all of a sudden going to go out and
do a great job of getting more people into it is very uncertain."
Industry will certainly adapt to the situation," Mesch said. "However,
the solutions may not be obvious. Adapting will mean that fewer people will be
expected to do more work. This will certainly be the short-term solution
as evidenced by past events in the oil and gas and other industries."
"The industry will continue to gain operating efficiencies through
improvements in communications and analysis systems," Mesch added.
"However, preliminary analysis suggests that the industry will not be able
to fill this gap through linear improvements in operating
efficiencies."
"Oil
and Gas Firms Urged to Find New Ways to Recruit, Retain Workers"
Sam
Fletcher - OGJ Online
“We
tend to think of competition [for employees] the wrong way in our industry,”
said Allen Mesch, founder of PetroStrategies Inc., a planning consultant who
participated in that panel discussion. “The real competition is not Enron
Corp. or Apache Corp., but Microsoft Corp. or Dell Computer Corp.” In
that competition, the oil and gas industry is handicapped by its public image as
a pollution-prone industry, wracked by cycles of boom and bust that have
eliminated 100,000 jobs in recent years, said Mesch. Moreover, he said, “This
historically has been a male-dominated, white Anglo-Saxon Protestant
industry,” particularly among top management. “That is changing, and
changing for the better,” he said. “Monetary rewards are important,
but they’re not the main thing,” said Mesch. “A lot of middle-management
people would rather have another week of vacation than an extra $5,000 that the
government will get most of anyway.” Most energy-related companies
virtually abandoned college recruitment programs over the last 10-12 years. But
even through downturns, corporate executives “need to be consistent in
recruiting and training new people. You've got to be on college campuses
recruiting annually,” Mesch said.
"The
Future of the U.S. Independent"
Leslie Haines - Oil and Gas Investor - January 2001
Allen
Mesch described three classes of independents. "The first will be the
small, family-owned company, well below most radar screens, that will eke out a
living and be buffeted by price fluctuations. The second will be what Mr.
Mesch calls "opportunistic scavengers." These firms buy assets
to exploit from majors or larger independents. They jump from opportunity
to opportunity without much of a strategy. The third group is made up of
companies with a coherent strategy to really build something larger, as opposed
to just paying the bills. They know what they do well, they know what they
want to achieve, and they know how to go about it."
"Oil's Big
Debut"
Terry Maxon - Dallas Morning News - January 10, 2001
"Spindletop
changed the Texas economy from agriculture to oil and gas," says Allen Mesch,
former director of the Maguire Energy Institute at SMU.
"High
Heating Bills"
Brad Watson - WFAA-TV - January 9, 2001
Allen Mesch interviewed about the
causes of the high home heating bills. Mr. Mesch said increases were due
to increased demand for gas due to normal winter weather and strong economy and
lower supplies of gas in storage and diminished gas exploration and production
activity.
Updated
03/31/08
Copyright
2000
PetroStrategies, Inc.
All rights reserved
