We hope you will join us for our fourth 2026 AEG Inland Empire meeting. The meeting will be held Wednesday, April 8, at Phil’s B.B.Q, in Temecula. This is a “south” venue of our roving AEG-IE meeting locations. Looking forward to seeing you there!
UPCOMING MEETING NOTICE
*** Wednesday, April 8, 2026 ***
Download the Announcement 
| Topic: | Reminders of an Oil Boom |
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| Speaker: | Thomas Walker, Walker and Evans, Consulting Petroleum Engineers, Huntington Beach, CA |
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| Date: | Wednesday, April 8, 2026 Social hour: 5:30 pm Dinner: 6:30 pm Presentation: 7:30 pm |
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| Location: | Phil's B.B.Q 40830 Winchester Road Temecula, CA 92591 |
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| Cost: | $45 per person with advance reservations for AEG members, $50 for non-AEG members, $50 for anyone without reservations (at the door), and $10 for students with a valid student ID and current AEG Student membership; the Student Membership is FREE, but it sometimes takes a few days to receive a student membership. |
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| Food: | Barbecue Buffet Style |
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| RSVP: | Registration has closed as of 12:00pm on April 6, 2026. With questions, please email meetings@aeg-ie.org. | Email AEG-IE at meetings@aeg-ie.org Please make reservations prior to 12:00pm on April 6, 2026. |
| Presentation Summary: | |
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California and the Los Angeles Basin were once the epicenter of the United States oil industry, contributing over one-third of all American oil production in 1923. Although local production has dropped dramatically, reminders of this oil boom are present around and underneath us. Developers have found wealth, along with a few land mines (idle and abandoned wells), in the vacant lots that were the site of significant oil production. These developers and the associated land use authorities need the expertise of knowledgeable engineers and geologists as they look to avoid or abandon / reabandon these oil wells and provide the residential and commercial development needed in our state. The goal of this talk is to give a brief insight into the history of oil development in the Los Angeles Basin; provide guidance on how to locate the wells that stand between vacant lots and development; and give a high-level look at the effort required to initiate the abandonment or reabandonment of these wells. |
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| Speaker Biography: | |
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Mr. Thomas Walker developed an early interest in the energy industry growing up in Tyler, Texas, as the son of a petroleum geologist, and began working in oil and gas as a student in 1980. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering (cum laude) from Texas A&M University in 1985, he joined Mobil Oil Corporation as a field petroleum engineer. Early in his career, he contributed to the development of an economic model for the Luling Branyon oil field during a major oil price downturn, an experience that set the foundation for his expertise in oil and gas property valuation. In 1991, he relocated to the Los Angeles Basin with Mobil, where he gained regulatory experience as an Environmental, Health and Safety Engineer. He transitioned to consulting in 1999, founding Walker Engineering, Inc., which later became Evans & Walker following a partnership formed in 2001. Based in the Los Angeles Basin for more than 35 years, he has built extensive experience in urban oil and gas operations. Outside of work, he lives in Huntington Beach with his family and has been deeply involved in community service, youth sports, scouting, and his church. |
