Last week we sent you an email informing you that during a special HAPL board meeting called on March 5th, the board unanimously decided to obtain professional assistance with the ongoing landman licensing issue. I am pleased to inform you that the HAPL has officially retained a Texas Governmental Affairs Consultant.
After numerous telephone conferences with a wide variety of state lobbyists and several one-on-one interviews, we have chosen to engage Todd Morgan as our TGA Consultant. Todd knows the land profession well as his father spent over 60 years as a landman. Todd began his professional career at the Texas Railroad Commission working for Commissioner John Sharp. He learned property issues working 8 years as the Director of State Government Affairs for Temple-Inland, the state’s largest private landowner.We interviewed Todd this past Monday and found him to be a real “go-getter”. Todd is the type who will work hard communicating with all the players – TIPRO, TEXOGA, AAPL and all of the oil industry lobbyists with which many of you work. In the near term, Todd will be working to gather all the facts so we know where this issue is and where we think it is going.
We will be working with AAPL and all of our sister Texas associations to insure we do what is in the best interest of Texas Landmen. Marshall Lochausen, AAPL’s President, has asked us not to mount a grassroots effort directed individually towards Representative Geren at this time. HAPL supports this as well. In the next several days, we will be working towards a strategy which may very well include a grassroots efforts directed at all our state legislators. At which time, we will need all of your help! Please stand ready to join HAPL, AAPL and all of our sister Texas Associations to do what is necessary and most beneficial for all Texas Landmen.