IPANM (Nov. 20, 2022) – Dr. Dan Fine, a renowned oil & gas expert who resided in New Mexico, passed away last month. IPANM members affectionately referred to him as “Dr. Dan” due to his longtime friendship and support of IPANM and IPANM members. Fine died in Miami on Sept. 26, following complications from surgery. He was 88-years old, and still active in his advocacy and work throughout the industry.
IPANM Executive Director Jim Winchester offered the following statement: “Dr. Dan was deeply involved in many issues that impacted independent oil & gas producers. He was a tireless advocate, and you could always count on him to show up for oil & gas hearings to support or present fact-based analysis on the the importance of our industry to the state, the country, and the world.”
Former IPANM Board President T. Greg Merrion praised Fine for his efforts in the state’s northwest region, where he advocated for the importance of the state’s San Juan Basin, helped organize the still running San Juan Energy Conference, and was active in the Four Corners Economic Development.“He traveled around the state and met with all kinds of people from many different sectors,” Merrion told The Farmington Daily News. “He would talk about everything, from the war in Ukraine to oil and gas prices and elections.”
Fine has been a resident of New Mexico since 2004, and served as the director of the Center for Energy Policy at the Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro. Fine later worked a lead researcher and author on the State of New Mexico’s Energy Policy and Implementation Plan adopted during the Martinez Administration in 2015.
“I first worked with Dr. Dan during his time developing New Mexico’s Energy Plan during the Martinez administration,” IPANM’s Jim Winchester said. “He was someone who taught myself and many others in the state about the importance of safe and responsible fossil-fuel production as part of an ‘all of the above’ approach to energy development. He was especially a strong advocate for the Navajo Allottees in the San Juan Basin and his efforts helped draw attention to the many positive impacts of oil & gas development to the Navajo people. There was both passion and compassion in his many efforts.”
Outside of New Mexico, Fine was known as an expert on energy markets and geopolitics. Fine served as a lifelong Harvard fellow and research associate with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and providing expert guidance on energy issues and international relations among the top echelons of public and private agencies. He kept a pulse on the activities of foreign entities, governments, and OPEC+, and frequently offered analysis to local media on the impact of foreign energy policies on New Mexicans.
IPANM offers our condolences to Fine’s family and is indebted to him for his service to the New Mexico oil & gas industry.
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