June 14
Yesterday we had two interviews in Houston, TX. We checked out of our very interesting Baytown hotel (if you are interested in an off-the-wall and unrelated anecdote, ask me in person) early in the morning. We then headed off to find the home of Christopher Ross, Vice President of Charles River Associates International. He has been a consultant in the oil and gas industry for decades, and authored a book called "Terra Incognita: A Navigation Guide for Energy Leaders" (which he signed and gave to us as a gift).
I was the leader in this interview, running all the primary questioning. I wasn't nervous until he sent me a document full of complicated graphs and risk assessments right before pulling into his drive way--saying that this man is smart is an understatement. He was a fascinating person to talk to, and his resume reveals how he managed to work his way into such a beautiful house in an even more beautiful neighborhoood. He is a native Brit, and actually started his career working for BP (ironically enough).
He talked mostly about the economic and risk side of the business, and was a very articulate, middle-ground voice. Conservative, but progressive in his thinking (again, it is all about how you define progression). My favorite thing he said was that the machinery and the industry is "absolutely beautiful" and that is the reason he "fell in love with the industry." By beautiful he meant the chemical and mechanical engineering is so innovative and incredibly complex (he is a chemist, so this response is less than surprising). He is a genuine believer in the progress that industry can make, and seemed optimistic in all of his responses.
After a Barnes & Noble/Starbucks lunch break, we headed off to our final interview of the day (another one I arranged previously) with professor Andre Droxler from Rice University. He is a geologist and has travelled the world for various research opportunities (he has worked for Rice and only Rice since the mid-80s). This past year, he served his sabbatical leave working for the ExxonMobil research lab. He said that he has had a lot of experience examining oil and gas from an academic perspective, and wanted the chance to do the same from an industry perspective.
What was most interesting in the interview with Mr. Droxler was his comparison of infrastructures in Europe and the US. Being a Swiss, he talked about how Americans think that they pay an arm and a leg for gasoline, when in fact it is much more expensive in Europe due to high taxes. The disparity comes from a lack of extensive systems of public transportation in the US. The difficulty we have in the US establishing intricate systems of public transit is due to the sheer size of our country--we are massive and spread out. Mr. Droxler said you could fit Switzerland in the state of Texas three times, and that is why we have such a demand for independence of mobility and the Swiss don't--we are just so much bigger!
Following our interview, we took a wonderful tour of the campus (compliments of Dr. Droxler). Rice is amazing, and I would be preparing my graduate application right away if it wasn't in the middle of Hades aka Houston. This school is very prominent (especially during both Bush administrations) for hosting world leaders and political figures (with an entire gallery of photos to show for it). I even got the chance to touch a piece of the Berlin Wall that is on display on campus. How many people can say they touched the Berlin Wall? I can.
June 15
After a late-night drive over the Louisiana state line and a restful night's sleep at yet another Super 8 motel, we were up and ready to tackle the day. We began in the parking lot of the Lafyette, LA Target interviewing an oil surveyer who is related to Lorna's PLU flute instructor (yeah...random). Then, it was off to find what everyone has been talking about on the news.
We decided to head for Venice, LA since it is one of the main areas that were affected by the BP spill. After getting turned around (more than a little), and shooting some amazing b-roll of refineries on our detoured route (while attracting the attention of some unmarked vehicles with tinted windows, which we concluded were refinery security/spies), we reached the marinas in Venice. After scouting the area, we found a spot to walk around and try and get some local interviews. With a little help from Fox News broadcasters reporting from the field (and learning that their contracts prohibited them from talking with us on the record), we were pointed in the direction of some people that could speak with us.
First, we met a man who works for an NBC affiliate in Anchorage, AK who was down in the Gulf spotlighting Alaskans who have been helping with the clean-up efforts (after all, they are experts "thanks" to the last-biggest environmental crisis in our country's history). This man had some interesting insight about the media's role in the discourse surrounding energy, and the way that language plays a role in focusing on the crisis of energy, but never the other stories before and after crisis occurs.
Following this interview, we spoke with a regular visitor of Venice. He was a fisherman from Alabama, and he had a very interesting perspective about the economic ramifications surrounding the spill. He said that people stop coming to these tourist areas for no good reason, and that the media causes unnecessary panic by blowing certain aspects out of proportion. "I can't fish in my favorite spot" he said, but he is still fishing despite everything. "The fish we have caught and ate have tasted fine," he said. A very interesting perspective that you wouldn't expect to find.
Another interesting thing that this man said was in response to my question about how aware the public really is about energy. He said that it isn't really "cause for concern." When I asked him why, he simply said that all that matters is whether or not it is there. He said there should be cause for concern, but as long as energy is readily available there won't be.
The most frustrating part about today was talking with fisherman who couldn't talk to us. Fisherman is a loose term, because we discovered that these men are no longer able to fish, for obvious reasons. Instead, they have been contracted by BP to partake in the clean up efforts. What is interesting, however, is that these men signed a contract that prohibits them from speaking with anyone about anything related to the spill. All we wanted to know was general information about how they have been personally and economically effected, and they couldn't speak a word. "I would love to talk to y'all, but my first priority right now is my job," one fisherman said to me. In other words, the company that put them out of a job now owns their livlihood. Backwards, perhaps? I thought so.
Looking ahead...
Tomorrow is another day of intense travel (everything down here is so incredibly far apart). We will do on the street interview in New Orleans, followed by some authentic Cajun food, and then we will once again hit the open road towards Houston.
Thursday morning is the interview I have been looking forward to the most (shh, don't tell any of my new friends). Mr. John Hofmeister is the former President of Royal Dutch Shell, and founder of the organization Citizens for Affordable Energy. Here is a sample list of Mr. Hofmeister's media record: Meet the Press, Fox News, BBC World News, Sean Hannity, The O'Rielly Factor, NBC Nighlty News with Brian Williams, Fox Business News...just to name a few. He recently came out with a book called "Why We Hate the Oil Companies: Straight Talk from an Energy Insider" (which I have been reading a lot on this trip). I am taking the reigns on this one, and I am so incredibly excited about it. Nervous, yes. Intimidated, a little. Fearless, of course.
Until next time...
