Texas Tribune plans 2 events in Odessa
Apr. 25—The Texas Tribune will have two events in Odessa — in person or online.
"West Texas: The State of Oil," will be at noon May 8 at the Saulsbury Campus Center at Odessa College, or online.
Industry experts and community leaders will talk about how the industry has changed communities like Odessa and Midland, how oil companies are partnering with local entities to train the next generation of workers and what is being done to address environmental concerns around this massive drilling enterprise.
Oil and gas production in West Texas broke records last year. The Texas Oil and Gas Association reported that Texas supplied 42% of the nation's oil in 2023, with most of it coming from the Permian Basin.
Confirmed speakers include:
— Savannah Morales, CEO, Midland Chamber of Commerce
— Stephen Robertson, executive vice president, Permian Basin Petroleum Association
Carlos Nogueras Ramos, the Tribune's Permian Basin reporter, will moderate.
Also, "We the Texans: Local News and Democracy," is set for noon May 9 at the Saulsbury Campus Center at Odessa College.
The panel will include Patrick Canty, publisher of the Odessa American. More speakers will be announced soon. Matthew Watkins, the Tribune's managing editor of news and politics, will moderate.
When local newspapers shrink or shutter, it leaves a gap in news access that other local news outlets struggle to fill, causing news deserts — communities without reliable local news sources. Texans in news deserts struggle to navigate misinformation and often grow to mistrust the media and other institutions.
This is part of the Tribune's yearlong initiative examining the state of democracy in Texas. In this solutions-focused conversation, they will talk with media experts and community leaders about the challenges local communities face and what can be done to ensure Texans across the state have access to reliable local news.
