US officials such as Paula Gant, the Office of Fossil Energy’s deputy assistant secretary for oil and natural gas, posited that the North American energy sector would benefit from an increased focus on public data mapping, as well as the development of modern infrastructure and industry best practices. Attendees also identified cost-effective strategies, including the use of efficient new technologies, as key to the industry’s development.
Other attendees stressed the important of collaboration between the business and regulatory sectors of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Texas Representative Bill Flores, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, also noted a lack of oil and gas industry knowledge in Congress. As a potential solution, several conference participants promoted partnerships between federal agencies and oil and gas operators to aid the development of mutually acceptable regulations.