Mexico’s energy reform in spotlight at Rice’s Baker Institute Feb. 12

MEDIA ADVISORY

David Ruth
david@rice.edu
713-348-6327

Jeff Falk
jfalk@rice.edu
713-348-6775

Mexico’s energy reform in spotlight at Rice’s Baker Institute Feb. 12

HOUSTON – (Feb. 4, 2015) – Leading Mexican and United States experts will discuss the opportunities and challenges posed by Mexico’s budding energy reform at a conference at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy Feb. 12.

The conference is sponsored by the Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies and Mexico Center in conjunction with the American Petroleum Institute, the Center for Offshore Safety, the Center for U.S. and Mexican Law at the University of Houston, the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute.

Who: Leading energy experts from government, the private sector and academia. Philip Smith, general manager of emergency management and deepwater regulatory affairs at Shell Oil Company, will give the luncheon keynote address. For the full list of speakers, panelists and agenda, see http://bakerinstitute.org/events/1698.

What: A conference titled “Mexico’s Energy Reform: Opportunities and Challenges for International Engagement in the Gulf of Mexico.”

When: 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12.

Where: Rice University, James A. Baker Hall, Doré Commons, 6100 Main St.

Mexico’s energy reform has set the stage for significant changes in exploration and development activity in Mexican waters, and the opportunities for collaborative engagement with existing offshore players in U.S. waters will define oil and gas exploration and development in the Gulf of Mexico for years to come, according to event organizers. This daylong conference will focus on the latest policy developments and emerging opportunities in offshore oil and gas safety and environmental protection, with discussion of the state of reform efforts in Mexico, the potential impact of these reforms on the transboundary hydrocarbon treaty, the reforms as a catalyst for transboundary cooperation in oil and gas exploration, and the prospect of common safety and environmental expectations.

Members of the news media who want to attend should RSVP to Jeff Falk, associate director of national media relations at Rice, at jfalk@rice.edu or 713-348-6775.

The public must register to attend this event by Feb. 9 at http://bakerinstitute.org/events/register/1698/?submit=RSVP.

For a map of Rice University’s campus with parking information, go to www.rice.edu/maps. Media should park in the Central Campus Garage.

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Founded in 1993, Rice University’s Baker Institute ranks among the top 10 university-affiliated think tanks in the world. As a premier nonpartisan think tank, the institute conducts research on domestic and foreign policy issues with the goal of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. The institute’s strong track record of achievement reflects the work of its endowed fellows, Rice University faculty scholars and staff, coupled with its outreach to the Rice student body through fellow-taught classes — including a public policy course — and student leadership and internship programs. Learn more about the institute at www.bakerinstitute.org or on the institute’s blog, http://blogs.chron.com/bakerblog.