Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America

The Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education at Western Michigan University, as part of the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America's Small Producer Program, has been conducting research to extend the life of mature fields in an environmentally sustainable way. The term "small producer" is defined in the 2005 Energy Policy Act as "an entity organized under the laws of the United States with production levels of less than 1,000 barrels per day of oil equivalent."

The Small Producer Program was established to benefit small producing companies in technology development for mature oil and gas fields, with the objective of extending the life and ultimate recovery of these fields. This is an important group to overall United States production. MGRRE's research in the Michigan Basin deals with facies analyses and modeling which can also be used in other mature basins.