On a windy Spring day in the Permian Basin, the faithful workers of Latshaw Rig 45 hosted a very special guest. Vice President Mike Pence arrived on Air Force 2 at the Midland Airport on Wednesday, April 17 to pay a visit to the region, a visit that was kicked off with a small rally in front of a crowd of 60 supporters. As 25-35 mile per hour winds raged, the crowd joyfully greeted the Vice President in front of Latshaw Rig 45 (ironically the same number bestowed on Trump’s Presidency). In his speech, Pence remarked that “It’s amazing to think what can be accomplished if we can unlock the ‘incredible potential of the Permian Basin,’” and that the area is the “Heart of the Energy Renaissance” in the United States. He also added that by 2023, the Permian Basin will be producing a potential of 5.4 million barrels of oil per day, making it the third highest producing region in the world.
With President Trump’s removal of the U.S. from the catastrophic job-killing Paris Agreement, the way has been paved for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a measure which will benefit American workers, trade, agriculture and more. According to Pence, Congress should approve the agreement and will be able to send it to Trump’s desk this year.
Travis Stice (CEO of Diamondback Energy), Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Texas Railroad Commission Chair Christi Craddick were present to receive the Vice President. Stice commented that “we tried to do things as perfectly as we could, but we can’t really control the dust.”
Overall, it was a momentous occasion as it was the first time since a political figure as prestigious as the Vice President has visited the region since President Ford came to the region in the 1970s to tour the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum. Pence state that “the three pillars of America’s greatness are our faith, freedom and our vast natural resources.”