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Quite possibly the most important discovery to the State of Texas, and to the world for a variety of reasons, was made in Reagan County, southeast of Midland, on May 28, 1923.

Although it wasn’t the first commercially producing well in the Permian Basin, the Santa Rita No. 1, named after the Patron Saint of the Impossible, was the first well to give the world a glimpse of the potential of the Permian Basin; a region that today produces over five million barrels of oil a day, accounts for more than 40% of total oil production in the United States and if it were its own nation, would be the fourth largest oil producing country in the world.

We celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the Santa Rita No. 1 at the 2023 Permian Basin Petroleum Association Annual Meeting, for not only being the well that launched the Permian Basin but for its production and the production from the thousands of wells in the Permian Basin to follow it, have meant to humanity.

These great gains did not come without boldness, tenacity, ingenuity, and a bit of luck. While the story behind the Santa Rita No. 1 is one for the ages, it also is truly a story that epitomizes what it has taken for the oil and gas industry to not just survive but thrive in the Permian Basin, even today.

The Petroleum Professional Development Center (PPDC) of Midland College provides quality continuing education for the Permian Basin energy industries. The center is one of seven mid-career training centers worldwide recognized by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG).

The mission of the PPDC is to provide quality continuing education designed to keep oil and gas industry professionals current in their areas of expertise through dynamic interaction between the community, the college, and the industry. The PPDC will provide high-quality, timely, and pertinent educational opportunities to meet the professional development needs of those working in the regional energy industry.

Many of their classes qualify for re-certification credits that Professional Engineers, Professional Geologists, and Petroleum Landmen use to maintain their professional certification status.

The PPDC also holds various symposiums on timely issues important to the region's oil and gas industry. Specifically, the PBPA partners to help host the Permian Basin Environmental Regulatory Seminar each year to help you keep current on the most recent regulations and policy changes.

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) will periodically conduct workshops or conferences on a variety of oil and gas topics including its annual Regulatory Conference.

For a schedule of upcoming events, you can visit the RRC's website at this link https://www.rrc.texas.gov/oil-and-gas/workshops-and-conferences/.

The year 2020 brought sudden unexpected challenges to Texas and to the oil and gas industry. Economic caution from the spread of COVID-19, coupled with a massive temporary glut of oil on world markets put the Texas Miracle on hold, and much of the oil and gas industry with it.

In the linked report, the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association (TTARA) Research Foundation reviews the contributions of the oil and gas industry to state and local finances in Texas over the past five years, and, more specifically, the ascendancy of the Permian Basin.

View Report