The sudden slowdown in drilling activity not only affects drillers, oilfield services companies, midstreamers and the many supply chain companies (restaurants, hotels, fencing, etc.) that service them–it also affects trade associations. Last November America’s Natural Gas Association merged with the more flush American Petroleum Institute (see Two Top O&G Trade Groups to Merge: ANGA & API). In January the Center for LNG announced it is merging with the Natural Gas Supply Association (see CLNG Merges with NGSA, Gets New Director from Former ANGA). Not every association is looking to merge in order to stay alive. The Pennsylvania Independent Oil & Gas Association (PIOGA), headed by the fearless Lou D’Amico, is hurting. Membership (and along with it, dues) is down 40% in the past two years. Ouch. But Lou isn’t looking to merge, instead, he’s looking to expand. That is, expand the types of members that belong to PIOGA. Traditionally small conventional drillers have been the bulk of PIOGA’s membership. Shale drillers, to some extent, have joined too. But with conventional drilling taking a nosedive, Lou needs to cast the net wider–so he’s now looking for industrial customers, manufacturers and the like, who are big users of natural gas, to join…
