For years, green energy advocates were frustrated in a conservative-controlled Washington. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, the oil and gas industry is lamenting it's hard to gain traction with the new majority.
For example, American Petroleum Institute Chairman Larry Nichols says he has found himself left to pitch industry positions to a Capitol Hill summer intern.
A meeting set up by an Oklahoma Democrat with a member of the Florida delegation ended almost as soon as it began when the Florida Democrat asked if Nichols, who is also chairman and CEO of Devon Energy, wanted to drill offshore the Sunshine State. Nichols said no. Satisfied, the unidentified House member bolted, leaving the oil and gas exploration and production executive with the intern, according to Nichols. He shared his story with empathetic panelists and a sympathetic audience at this week's Offshore Technology Conference in Houston.
The industry panelists bemoaned the questions posed by members of Congress at recent hearings on the Outer Continental Shelf as, at best, short of depth, and at worst, loaded to make oil and gas witnesses seem indifferent to alternative energy pursuits. Hitting that wall, the oil and gas industry should reach out in their communities to find voters who will listen and, in turn, possibly sway their representatives, suggested Tim Cejka, president of ExxonMobil Exploration; Gary Luquette, president of Chevron North America Exploration and Production; and Karen Harbert, president and CEO of the US Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy.
They envision a grassroots campaign that could start with speeches to Rotary clubs, VFWs, etc. But, before they get that show on the road, maybe they should take a hard look at their perennial talking points and reflect on how those may fail during this go-round.
Asked by this reporter whether criticism of congressional questioners could be interpreted as disdain for the very people the industry wants to convince, Nichols allowed that possibility, but also noted many of them are not interested in listening to the oil world. Given the variety of questions in Hill hearings, "there are some people there to be educated and there are other people who are there to make political points," Nichols said. "And, the ones that are there to make political points are frustrating to both sides of the debate because, you know, the American ideal is that a congressional hearing is to...solicit objective information, and sometimes those hearings are not used that way."
While he and other traditional energy proponents reiterate that multiple resources are needed far into the future, including coal, nuclear, gas, and solar and other renewables, they are fighting any idea that new alternatives can supplant traditional sources in the near future. "Wind and solar generate electricity. They don't generate oil. They don't generate a fuel that one can use to run the transportation system of the world," Nichols said, adding corn-based ethanol is "not an environmentally friendly-fuel."
But, even with valid points, can some added stylistic flourishes backfire? Take this comment from Nichols, speaking to reporters afterward: "Just this, everyone uses the words alternate fuel without saying what it is--as if the Tooth Fairy is going to deliver it in the night."
With that, I had to ask the following: "On that note, is it possible when you all make certain word choices that somebody could view you as being cynical or condescending of their point of view instead of reaching out to them and trying to educate them?" To Nichols, it's all a matter of interpretation, he responded. "We do our best to educate them and reach out to them with the facts. Could they view it that way? Yes. Could you view it the other way? Yes," he said.
Either way, the industry may want to work up some new slogans. Here's a sampling of familiar mottos voiced by the panelists:
On gas: "It's cheap, it's affordable and it's right here in the United States."
On government policies and capital spending: "We have a problem with regulatory uncertainty."
On resolving energy supply concerns: "There is no silver bullet."
On boosting domestic oil supply: "We need to permanently end the OCS moratoria."
On frustrated lobbying aims: "We don't have political will in Washington."
Ditto: "The lights are on, but nobody's home."
And, finally: "As an industry, we have done a very poor job of engaging stakeholders" and are "our own worst enemy."
Truly.
We borrow from China to buy oil from Arabia. We will need our own oil for many years. New oil taxes and restrictions on oil exploration offshore and in Alaska will increase the cost and decrease our supply. Nuclear will reduce oil demand but not eliminate it. Air and solar will be a small supplier for many years.
The oil industry may just have to take their exploration business to other countries and wait for the new crowd to run into the ditch and come asking for help, when it's too late.