Decreasing international crude oil prices may affect the money available to the UT System, according to Bruce Zimmerman, CEO and CIO of the University of Texas Investment Management Company.

From June 2012 to June 2014, the market value of the Permanent University Fund, or PUF, increased from $13.1 billion to $17.2 billion, according to reports from UTIMCO, the organization that invests money for the System.

The PUF is an endowment containing 2.1 million acres in West Texas that was created by the Texas Constitution to benefit the UT and Texas A&M University systems. The proceeds from the sale of oil, gas, sulfur and water royalties are invested in the form of stocks, bonds and equity interest to establish the Available University Fund, or AUF. Two-thirds of these funds go toward the UT System, and one-third goes to the Texas A&M system.

Scott Kelley, executive vice president for business affairs at the UT System, said the PUF’s market value grew as a result of increased oil production in West Texas.

“The new technology and horizontal drilling and the ability to extract oil and gas from some of the shale that’s out there has just created a whole new wave of production,” Kelley said.

In August, United States crude oil production averaged an estimated 8.6 million barrels per day, the highest monthly production recorded since July 1986, according to a report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The report also said demand for oil in industrialized economies is weakening, which may be causing oil prices to drop.

As the price of oil declines, Zimmerman said the revenue contributed to the PUF is also affected.

“Rising oil prices means more money coming into the endowment,” Zimmerman said. “Falling oil and gas prices mean less revenue.”

While the government report shows declining prices, Kelley said the market price for oil has remained steady for a number of years between $80 and $100 a barrel, allowing for an increase in production.

“If it were to drop to $50 a barrel or do something dramatic, then the drilling would likely be curtailed and even some of the production may stop,” Kelley said.

Zimmerman said even though the revenue from West Texas oil affects the PUF, UTIMCO does not invest heavily in natural gas and oil companies, making it less susceptible to the volatility of oil prices.

“We have a very diversified portfolio,” Zimmerman said. “It’s diversified globally. It’s diversified across stocks, bonds and real assets. It’s diversified across private equity and public equity [and] hedge funds. We have a relatively small amount of the endowment invested in oil and gas.”

Zimmerman said about 10 percent of PUF funds are invested in natural resources across the globe. He said UTIMCO tends to invest most heavily in stocks, since the System endowments are meant to last for an indefinite period of time.

“The biggest impact on the investment returns is whether the stock markets are going up or down,” Zimmerman said.