Today Phil was joined by Ryan Flynn, Executive Director of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association (NMOGA). Ryan tells Phil how he got into the oil and gas industry and what led him to his role as the Executive Director of the organization. They discuss how the association approaches out of the box thinking, why they put an emphasis on being humble and the obstacles they’re facing going into 2021. Ryan also shares how political policies will affect the industry and the overall impact this will have on the environment.  Here are some of the things you can look forward to in this episode: The initiatives that NMOGA has focused on this year How the pandemic has affected the industry in New Mexico Why incentivizing American producers will help reduce the overall environmental impact    Highlights: 1:47 How Ryan got involved in the oil and gas industry  8:29 What the NMOGA does 12:06 Out of the box thinking the association has done 18:27 Their approach around being humble  20:03 The association’s efforts in the field to reduce the environmental impact 21:08 The state of oil and gas in New Mexico during the pandemic 27:01 Biggest wins the association has had this year 33:19 Obstacles they face going into 2021 40:43 Why you should be looking for ways to incentivize American producers 43:27 What the annual meeting will be like this year 48:07 His thoughts on the future and the resilience of the oil and gas industry   About Ryan Flynn: Ryan Flynn is the Executive Director of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, a trade group representing the hard-working men and women in New Mexico’s oil and natural gas industry. As NMOGA’s Executive Director, Ryan has worked to strengthen relationships with community partners and members, and better communicate with the public about the role and impacts of oil and natural gas in New Mexico. Prior to joining NMOGA, Ryan previously served as the Secretary of Environment and the Natural Resources Trustee for the State of New Mexico. As Environment Secretary, Flynn brokered several key agreements with federal and state agencies, including a successful agreement with the United States Air Force to remediate groundwater contamination at Kirtland Air Force Base; and a landmark settlement agreement with the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Navajo Nation over regional haze regulations in the coal and power producing Four Corners region of New Mexico -- called by one environmental group, the “greatest environmental improvement in the state’s history.” Ryan’s settlement agreement with the Department of Energy over violations at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is the largest settlement agreement of its kind in the history of the United States. Ryan serves as an area defense counsel in the New Mexico Air National Guard and is the proud father of two girls. Connect with Ryan: New Mexico Oil and Gas Association | Facebook | Twitter | Personal Twitter | LinkedIn   About SherWare, Inc. If you’re enjoying this episode, please subscribe to our podcast and share with a friend! We also love ratings and reviews on Apple podcasts. SherWare creates software to simplify your accounting needs so you have more time to do the things that matter. We serve independent oil and gas operators, accountants and investors with a platform to manage their distributions and joint-interest billings on a platform -- and we’re the only software on the market that can integrate with your QuickBooks company. Click here to watch a demo of the software in action right now.